Politics

Standard models of political thought derived from Liberal, Democratic and Classical models of political theory do not appear to fully comprehend the structure and processes of political action and culture at the local-level in South Africa. I present a concise model that is based on set of four inter-linked'principles' or concepts that structure political action and sentiment:(I) the equivalence of persons,(2) respect,(3) jealousy, and (4) suffering. These principles form a resilient and powerful structure that govern political action, and are ...

The retrenchment of the welfare state came with the global ascendancy of the neoliberal policy regime since the 80’s. Since then, the gap between public wants and state policies in most parts of the developing world has widened. The ensuing decline in policy representation and responsiveness —the meeting point between larger public interest as aggregated through public opinion and public policy—has inspired public suspicion and constrained policy legitimacy, thereby resulting in tension between the government and the citizenry now alert in reminiscence of past failures and its negative welfare implications. Nigeria is trapped in a triple development arrest: endemic political corruption and mismanagement, rising challenges of insecurity, and an abysmal state of public infrastructure. In all, the living condition and welfare of the people is the casualty. Contrary to the much advertised gains of neoliberal reforms, and in spite of sponsored reports of economic growth, the living condi...

Climate change and its impacts on the physical environment have received increased attention in recent years, spurring debates on its global and local dimensions. While a common ground has been reached on its causes, manifestations and options for mitigation, its human security implications remain poorly understood. Links between climate change and social con lict is one of the most controversial issues in the climate change impacts assessment literature as priorities diverge between generalised scienti ic validity (pedagogy) and context-based security analysis (policy). This paper examines climate change-con lict linkages drawing upon experiences of migrant pastoralists and arable farming host communities in Nigeria. It found a strong causal linkage between exposure to impacts of climate change and growing incidence of con lict over renewable natural resources. It recommends contextualised analyses of the linkage as well as the integration of climate-related con lict into Nigeria’s...

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Committee of Elders (CCoE) was established at the Eleventh Summit of the COMESA Authority of Heads of State and Government in Djibouti in November 2006. It was subsequently launched in 2008. The CCoE consists of experienced, respected and distinguished individuals drawn from COMESA member states. CCoE teams are often deployed on election observation missions, on invitation from the member state. The mission conducts its assessment and renders its advice on the electoral processes, based on the constitution of the affected state.

Violent conflict between native communities and migrant herdsmen is one of Nigeria’s most ubiquitous security challenges in the age of climate change. It accounts for an increasing number of human and material losses which is not only surpassed by the country’s ongoing counter-insurgency, but also threatens unity among its regions. It has therefore gained attention in the legislative arm of government. In response, lawmakers mainly of northern Nigeria extraction have proposed a Grazing Bill which seeks to expand and legalize nationwide access to grazing land for pastoral farmers in defiance to agitation in host communities for legislative protection. A cardinal principle of federalism is the premium placed on preservation of local interests that are peculiar to component units while harnessing strength in areas of concerns common to federating units. Against the backdrop of Nigeria’s federal system and its social, ecological and historical diversity, this paper examines the implicat...

The interface between environment and conflict has gained traction in policy and security circles in recent times. Growing scholarly interest on the linkage stems from increasing awareness on the role climate change plays in precipitating resource contestations and conflict over depleting natural resources, particularly in poor regions. Such impacts sometimes result from secondary consequences of environmental decline and resources scarcity which give rise to stiff competitions over access to available resources. In some cases, associated migration into new territories often breed struggles and violence. Pastoral systems in Africa are highly vulnerable to these forms of resource pressure as livestock production practice face increasing threats from resource crunch and other adverse changes occasioned by climate change. Studies indicate however, that exposure-conflict transition differs across socio-economic, political and ecological contexts. In Nigeria, the livestock production sys...

ABSTRACTThis structured literature review synthesizes studies that have investigated questions related to anti‐Black racism—namely, the discrimination and marginalization of Black people—in the accountancy literature and identifies opportunities for future research. This study is part of a larger research project that reviewed 161 articles and identified four themes relevant to accounting research on discrimination in general: anti‐Black racism, imperialism and postcolonialism, intersectionality, and diversity. Based on the 25 anti‐Black racism articles reviewed, this paper finds four key subthemes: demand for accountancy services and racial discrimination in accountancy practice, the racialization of professional accounting qualifications, Black professionals in academia, and the supply‐side fallacy. Furthermore, because studies at the intersection of anti‐Black racism and accounting are limited, this study proposes future research directions that will advance knowledge on various ...