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LOOKING IN THE MIRROR: INTRA-PARTY DEMOCRACY AND PARTY POLITICS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Title
LOOKING IN THE MIRROR: INTRA-PARTY DEMOCRACY AND PARTY POLITICS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA.
Creator
Ryan, Ty, Young, Kurt, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Political parties serve as a link between the state and society. Being so, they have a fundamental role in the consolidation of democratic values. It then becomes important to understand their internal functions and character. The purpose of this thesis is to measure the levels of intra-party democracy within three opposition political parties in Southern Africa. Also, this thesis seeks to show whether authoritarian political culture has an affect on a democratic party's behavior. This thesis...
Show morePolitical parties serve as a link between the state and society. Being so, they have a fundamental role in the consolidation of democratic values. It then becomes important to understand their internal functions and character. The purpose of this thesis is to measure the levels of intra-party democracy within three opposition political parties in Southern Africa. Also, this thesis seeks to show whether authoritarian political culture has an affect on a democratic party's behavior. This thesis will strive to show that as party levels of intra-party democracy decrease, fracturing in the party increases. A qualitative case study was conducted on UNITA in Angola, the ANC in South Africa, and the MDC in Zimbabwe. A content analysis was performed on the parties' respective constitutions and official party documents, as well as other scholarly writings. This was paired with an historical analysis of the case states and parties. The parties were assessed along a determined framework for intra-party democracy: political environment, legal framework of the state and party, the inclusiveness of the party, and party economics. Inclusiveness of the party gauges membership participation, leadership competition, gender parity, and oversight. The ANC exhibited the highest levels of intra-party democracy, and has shown the most stability. The MDC was found to have the lowest levels, and has split multiple times in recent years. All the parties demonstrated a need to open leadership participation and create better oversight mechanisms. Political parties proved to be a critical element in a state's potential democratic development, and though there exists deficiencies, the political parties of this study seem committed in many of their functions to this goal.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFH0004464, ucf:45102
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004464
Non-state Actors in Jamaican Economic Policy
Title
Non-state Actors in Jamaican Economic Policy.
Creator
Jarrett, Matthew, Young, Kurt, Wilson, Bruce, Gibbs, Warmoth, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The relevance in understanding local dynamics or political culture is that as Neuman has pointed out, many traditional theories have not taken them into account and have thus failed in explaining political occurrences in the lesser developed world. For example as she has stated, (")domestic factors(") have not been considered into (")systems theories("). (Neuman, 1995, p.16) On this basis, it is necessary to point out these local factors, and furthermore, the role of non-state actors within...
Show moreThe relevance in understanding local dynamics or political culture is that as Neuman has pointed out, many traditional theories have not taken them into account and have thus failed in explaining political occurrences in the lesser developed world. For example as she has stated, (")domestic factors(") have not been considered into (")systems theories("). (Neuman, 1995, p.16) On this basis, it is necessary to point out these local factors, and furthermore, the role of non-state actors within the realm of internal dynamics, since international relations theory also aims to understand the formation and motivation behind economic policy. Therefore, to produce a proper understanding of Jamaican economic policy, specific areas are examined: the political culture of Jamaican politics and the role of non-state actors as they function within the Jamaican state. The two sets of non-state actors are defined as internal and external. The internal consists of two political parties: the People's National Party and the Jamaica Labour Party; and also one social class group: the urban poor. And also, the external consists of: the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. The relationships between these groups and their relationships with the state are examined in order to identify how they affect economic policy. The constructivist theory due to its flexibility in its units of analysis, and its emphasis on (")culture("), and (")worldview(") helps to provide a useful framework for the discussion.
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Date Issued
2011
Identifier
CFE0004476, ucf:49307
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004476
Regional Organizations and the Durability of Peace
Title
Regional Organizations and the Durability of Peace.
Creator
Velasco, Juliana, Dolan, Thomas, Mirilovic, Nikola, Young, Kurt, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This thesis investigates the role of regional organizations in peacemaking and peacekeeping, particularly on the effects of peace agreement duration. This is important because the United Nations has been traditionally seen as the default international peacekeeping force but recently, more responsibility is being given to regional organizations.This study hypothesizes that regional organizations' ability to clear commitment problems, create specific agreements, and willingness to enforce...
Show moreThis thesis investigates the role of regional organizations in peacemaking and peacekeeping, particularly on the effects of peace agreement duration. This is important because the United Nations has been traditionally seen as the default international peacekeeping force but recently, more responsibility is being given to regional organizations.This study hypothesizes that regional organizations' ability to clear commitment problems, create specific agreements, and willingness to enforce agreements make them the most effective third parties to deal with many conflicts. However, the study also hypothesizes that regional organizations are less fit to mediate conflicts based around ethnicity, identity, or religious disparities.By utilizing a mixture of logistic regression and case studies, the results illustrate that regional organizations are an essential asset to creating agreements that elongate the duration of peace. In testing for the partiality of regional organizations, the specifics of agreements made, the willingness and capabilities of enforcement, the reason for the conflict and the institutionalization of the organization, quantitative and qualitative results illustrate that regional organizations are a valid tool for conflict management.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004953, ucf:49594
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004953