No-Party Democracy? Ugandan Politics in Comparative Perspective
Giovanni Carbone | | ISBN: 978-1-58826-630-9 $62.00 |
| ISBN: 978-1-62637-117-0 $62.00 |
| 2008/259 pages/LC: 2008009264 |
DESCRIPTION
Are political parties an essential element of democracy? Or can a no-party system constitute a viable democratic alternative? Giovanni Carbone examines the politics of Museveni’s Uganda to illustrate the achievements, contradictions, and limitations of participatory politics in the absence of partisan organizations.
At a time when multiparty reforms were sweeping the globe, Uganda opted for a controversial, no-party democratic model. The country’s politics over the past two decades thus provide the perfect opportunity for addressing the many questions—theoretical, empirical, and comparative—that the notion of a no-party system of elected government raises. Carbone’s analysis of how a no-party electoral regime actually works (or doesn’t) in Uganda fills a gap in both democracy studies and the study of African politics.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Giovanni Carbone is lecturer in political science in the Dipartimento di Studi Sociali e Politici of the Università degli Studi di Milano.
CONTENTS
- No-party Democracy
- Building a No-Party State in Uganda.
- The Political Economy of Support for the New Regime.
- Museveni’s Political Trajectory.
- The Movement: A Partisan Organization in Disguise.
- The State of the Old Parties in a No-Party State.
- The Electoral Politics of No-Partyism.
- The Parliamentary Politics of No-Partyism.
- The Demise of a Democratic Model.
"The first comprehensive empirical study of Museveni's rise to power using his no-party democratic dispensation.... A refreshing account.... Rich with comparative case studies from within and without Africa."—Ishmael I. Munene, Africa Today
"This fair and lively appraisal offers a comprehensive review of President Museveni's attempt to replace political parties in Uganda with a 'no party' system."—Oliver Furley, Coventry University."An original and important critique of Uganda under Museveni.... In each of [the] chapters there are new insights."—Ben Jones, Journal of Modern African Studies
"Carbone’s analysis of the construction, maintenance, and political impacts of a partyless system is a well-researched and cogently presented narrative."—Brett R. O’Bannon, Perspectives on Politics