thirdworldcitizen

Understanding post election violence in new democr... : Although post election violence has been a common occurrence in most African states, the new wave of PEV especially in Guinea and Nige...

Although post election violence has been a common occurrence in most African states, the new wave of PEV especially in Guinea and Nigeria shows change in pattern. These states are the so called new democracies in Africa, states that recently underwent democratic transition (S, Omotola 2010). This wave of violence has threatened stability of these states as people took to the streets to redress the disputed elections through violence. And unfortunately in some instances it took ethnic dimensions when a specific group of people were targeted in the process not only complicating the situation but also raising concerns over ethnic violence. Post election violence in these states is linked to patrimonial nature of most African states, weak institutions and exploitation of ethnicity to invoke political support which has undermined stability and security.   Additionally, different parties and leaders in these states have employed different tactics of election malpractices that invol...

It’s one thing to be unemployed in this tough economic times but its nerve wrecking when you have a Masters degree, an experience no employer looks at and a killer motivation. Talking of motivation, I have written so many letters of motivation to uncountable number of jobs I have applied to that I have become a self-appointed statement of purpose writer, with a keen eye for grammatical errors. But what is all this worth it if I do not have the said 5-10 year experience that is now a requirement in all advertised jobs?   Motivation, skills that you are confident of unleashing, the policy paper you can come up within an hour or less, research materials you flip out and present “magically”, the paper review you can write while sipping on a cup of cheap coffee, all this is not important sans the experience. Thus, I am forced to believe, out there are a group of Kenyans armed with experiences (PHD+10 years) more than I claim to have and qualities that are highlighted in all the ...

thirdworldcitizen: Perspectives: Why has Africa grown slowly? : Paul Collier (1999) clearly stated his arguments and explanations why Continental Africa is lagging behind in terms of development and...

Paul Collier (1999) clearly stated his arguments and explanations why Continental Africa is lagging behind in terms of development and growth unlike other regions of the world. Africa’s slow growth was explained by grouping the perceived causes into two-by-two matrix separating on one hand policy and “destiny” factors and on the other external and domestic. Furthermore, he comes to his conclusion by saying that reforms, especially in areas of domestic policy dealing with service delivery needs to be intensified while finally stating that freedom will be helpful in strengthening democracy which will likely support economic reform.   Although extensive and valid explanations were given by the author, it is quite hard not to separate the author from the institution he is working for when he published the article. He was working as a director of development research with the World Bank, thus making it hard for readers to rule out institutional bias since he barely made referenc...