Governance and Democracy: Past Research
- Consolidating Parliamentary Democracy in SADC
- Democracy and Political Party Systems
Consolidating Parliamentary Democracy in SADC
SAIIA’s Consolidating Parliamentary Democracy in SADC project was a Danish government-funded research, conference and publications project running from 2003 to 2007. The central aim of the project was to better understand the relationship between parliaments and civil society within SADC and to utilise the findings of the research and conferences to suggest practical methods of strengthening these relationships.
There were two dimensions to the research focus. The first was to examine what parliaments are doing to encourage, broaden and deepen public engagement with the legislative process. This included an examination of the extent and effectiveness of parliamentary media relations, public hearings, green paper commentary, committee hearings, debates, constituency meetings and clinics. The second dimension to the research programme was an examination of how civil society articulates its interests and engages with parliaments. Here the role and effectiveness of lobbying, written and oral submissions and parliamentary liaison offices were examined. The parliamentary engagement of organised 'insider' groups was evaluated against those of the marginalised in society. Publications emanating from this project can be found here.
Democracy and Political Party Systems
The Democracy and Political Party Systems project, funded by the Ford Foundation from 2004 to 2008, investigated the processes, structures and challenges facing countries in consolidating their transitions to democracy in post-independence Africa. The research focused specifically on the evolution of political party systems in the region, the factors affecting political contestation and political parties in Africa and how these influence the emergence and the overall consolidation of democracy. Publications emanating from this project can be found here.
