Monograph on political aspects of rural development in Botswana - describes the historical setting and background to independence, the traditional political system and political partys, local government, major and local community developments and village development committees, self help efforts and future prospects, etc., and includes the role of South Africa R. Bibliography pp. 187 to 199, diagrams, illustrations, maps, references and statistical tables.

Under King Sobhuza II, Swaziland was brought successfully to independence from the British some 20 years ago, without the violent conflict that bedevilled other African states. This study provides a synoptic view of the country's agrarian transformation and rural development since independence. The author draws heavily on research carried out by the Social Science Research Unit at the University of Swaziland, which is expanding our knowledge of contemporary Swaziland not only empirically, but also in terms of the debates about what questions need to be asked that will most usefully contribute both to academic and policy oriented studies.

Dealing with the issue of decentralization in a Third World context, this text examines the implementation of rural development policy in Senegal from the perspective of those who provide vital linkage between the centre and the rural population. The work: discusses the role played by the rural councilors; elaborates the linkages between government agents and the rural councils; and assesses the effectiveness of the system in implementing rural development.

The fourth edition of the Historical Dictionary of Botswana_through its chronology, introductory essay, appendixes, map, bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on important persons, places, events, institutions, and significant political, economic, social, and cultural aspects_provides an important reference on this burgeoning African country.

How have African rulers responded to the introduction of democratic electoral competition? Despite the broadly negative picture painted by the prevailing focus on electoral fraud, clientelism, and ethnic conflict, the book argues that the full story is somewhat more promising. While these unfortunate practices may be widespread, African rulers also seek to win votes through the provision and distribution of public goods and services. The author's central argument is that in predominantly rural countries the introduction of competitive elections leads governments to implement pro-rural policies, in order to win the votes of the rural majority. As a result, across much of Africa the benefits of democratic electoral competition have accrued primarily in terms of rural development. This broad claim is supported by cross-national evidence, both from public opinion surveys and from individual level data on health and education outcomes. The argument's core assumptions about voting behavior are supported with quantitative evidence from Ghana, and qualitative historical evidence from Botswana presents further evidence for the underlying theoretical mechanism. Taken together, this body of evidence provides reasons to be optimistic about the operation of electoral accountability in Africa. African governments are responding to the accountability structures provided by electoral competition; in that sense, democracy in Africa is working. Oxford Studies in African Politics and International Relations is a series for scholars and students working on African politics and International Relations and related disciplines. Volumes concentrate on contemporary developments in African political science, political economy, and International Relations, such as electoral politics, democratization, decentralization, the political impact of natural resources, the dynamics and consequences of conflict, and the nature of the continent's engagement with the East and West. Comparative and mixed methods work is particularly encouraged. Case studies are welcomed but should demonstrate the broader theoretical and empirical implications of the study and its wider relevance to contemporary debates. The series focuses on sub-Saharan Africa, although proposals that explain how the region engages with North Africa and other parts of the world are of interest. Series Editors: Nic Cheeseman, Professor of Democracy and International Development, University of Birmingham; Ricardo Soares de Oliveira, Professor of the International Politics of Africa, University of Oxford; Peace Medie, Senior Lecturer, School of Sociology, Politics, and International Studies, University of Bristol.

Botswana has been portrayed as a major case of exception in Africa—as an oasis of peace and harmony with an enduring parliamentary democracy, blessed with remarkable diamond-driven economic growth. Whereas the “failure” of other states on the continent is often attributed to the prevalence of indigenous political ideas and structures, the author argues that Botswana’s apparent success is not the result of Western ideas and practices of government having replaced indigenous ideas and structures. Rather, the postcolonial state of Botswana is best understood as a unique, complex formation, one that arose dialectically through the meeting of European ideas and practices with the symbolism and hierarchies of authority, rooted in the cosmologies of indigenous polities, and both have become integral to the formation of a strong state with a stable government. Yet there are destabilizing potentialities in progress due to emerging class conflict between all the poor sections of the population and the privileged modern elites born of the expansion of a beef and diamond-driven political economy, in addition to conflicts between dominant Tswana and vast other ethnic groups. These transformations of the modern state are viewed from the long-term perspectives of precolonial and colonial genealogies and the rise of structures of domination, propelled by changing global forces.

Annotated bibliography on rural development trends (1966 to 1980) in Botswana - covers agriculture, development policy, agricultural education, agricultural training, rural employment, rural migration, natural resources, health and nutrition, housing, land tenure, rural industry, livestock, rural cooperatives, social and cultural anthropology, transport, urbanization, rural women, etc.

Challenge to Imperialism is the first comprehensive analysis of the Zimbabwean struggle for independence in its international context. Based on extensive research in the southern African region and on interviews with the ZANU and ZAPU leaders in exile during the war, this study is an analysis of the crucial support given to the Zimbabwean nationalists by the five Frontline States-Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia. The book begins with a summary of the variable relations among the Frontline States and between those states and the Zimbabwean nationalists. More than once, Frontline governments put Zimbabwean nationalists in their own jails as tensions arose over leadership, conduct of the war, and terms for peace. Yet the Frontline States maintained their support in spite of the extremely high cost to their own economic development. How could these weak and economically dependent states confront the dominant interests in the region? Was Lancaster House simply a capitulation to imperialist interests, a constitution forced on the nationalists by the beleaguered Frontline States? This theoretical analysis addresses the complexity of these questions and suggests lessons for the current struggles in Namibia and in South Africa. Further, Dr. Thompson discusses the formation of the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) as an attempt to transform the Zimbabwean political victory into regional economic cooperation. This study of the political and economic background of Zimbabwean independence is important not only to those concerned about Zimbabwe and southern Africa, but also to those interested in the nature of liberation struggles and in the role of the state in developing countries.

What can South Africa learn from Botswana, arguably Africa's most successful democracy, and Zimbabwe, one of South Africa's closest neighbours? In this comparative study, the author explores these southern African countries with the aim of highlighting those factors that appear to ensure a successful transition to democracy.