The Fate of Africa's Democratic Experiments: Elites and Institutions

Does Western-style democracy make sense in the various geographic,
economic, and social settings of the continent? How far toward democracy have recent
liberalization movements gone? In The Fate of Africa's Democratic Experiments,
Leonardo A. Villalón, Peter VonDoepp, and an international group of contributors
consider the aftermath, success, failure, and future of the wave of democracy that
swept Africa in the early 1990s. In some countries, democratic movements flourished,
while in others, democratic success was more circumscribed. This detailed analysis
of key political events in countries at the forefront of democratic change -- Benin,
Central African Republic, Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali,
Mozambique, and Zambia -- provides for broadly representative continental and
linguistic coverage of directions and prospects for Africa's
democracies.

The contributors are Michael Chege, John F. Clark,
Joshua B. Forrest, Abdourahmane Idrissa, Bruce Magnusson, Carrie Manning, Richard R.
Marcus, Andreas Mehler, David J. Simon, Leonardo A. Villalón, and Peter
VonDoepp.