Describe two Post Modern Theories of Modern Governments of Africa

POST MODERNIST THEORIES
These theories are also referred to as globalization theories. Postmodernism refers to theories
which focus on liberal democracy, human rights and supra (regional) states. They are a cross
breed of modernization and dependency and underdevelopment theories. These theories
emphasize that Africa is part of the global village and its governments are influenced by the
trends of globalization. Thus issues such as liberalization of the economy, establishment of a
democratic system, respect of human rights and popular participation of all genders in the
government are some of the key elements that constitute postmodernist theories. In Africa these
theories are anchored on values and characteristics of good governance.
Best Shaun is one of the proponents of this theory. Shaun defines postmodernism as a new
technique of describing and explaining the globe. This is because theories of modernization,
dependency and underdevelopment and class struggle can no longer capture the complex and
intricate socio-political and economic changes that are being witnessed at global arena. Post
modernism promotes the existence of plurality of perspectives as opposed to the use of one
perspective such as class, gender or ethnicity to study political and socio-economic
phenomenon. Thus postmodernist scholars argue that social formations could well be
understood by undertaking local contextual studies in place of grand narratives to study
governments, economic systems and social institutions (Shaun 2002)
Post modernist theory has four sub theories which include state theory, liberal democratic
theory, human rights theory and the globalization theory.

1. State Theory.
The state theory falls both in the modernization and post modernism theoretical framework.
Sangman (1993) is articulate in his analysis of state theory. This theory describes the juridical state that is the novel-moral-legal foundation of the state system that has developed in Africa.
This state lacks the core elements of statehood. These core elements are public institutions,
sovereignty of legitimacy, formal monopoly of instruments of violence and an impartial
bureaucracy. Public institutions refer to a set of apparatus distinct from the ruler and the ruled.
These institutions have jurisdiction over a demarcated geographical area and are not controlled
by an individual. Sovereignty of legitimacy refers to the process where the legitimacy of state
authority is determined by the involvement of citizens to endorse the leadership that exercises
authority.
The person in the defined geographical area that identifies the state recognizes and submits
willingly to the established authority because the leaders articulate the general will of the
citizens. Formal monopoly of instruments of violence describes a situation where it is only the
government that has control of arms and ammunition and other instruments used to assert
authority I the state. It is only the government that controls security forces in the state. In the state there are no other organized groups or armies that challenge the government on monopoly of instruments of violence. Impartial bureaucracy describes a civil service that is objective, professional, impersonal and neutral. The use of bureaucracy describes the behaviors and organizational structure of the civil service where top down instructional flow of decrees leads to efficient delivery of services to the citizen. Bureaucracy entrenches the legitimacy of the government.
The state theory is used to study the softness or decline of the state. In Africa.. Since the
African state lacks capacity to control production and exchange and maintain its relationship
with the world economy, the state lose its legitimacy.. The end result is that citizens break off from the state and form autonomous groups that compete with the state. The state theory
focuses on executive council as a key instrument of public administration and downplays the
legislature and judiciary which also form key organs of governance.

2. Liberal Democratic Theory.
The liberal democratic theory is based on the philosophies of John Bentham and Max Weber.
This theory underscores the need for a government to have well defined functions of the three
organs of governance namely, the legislature, Judiciary and Civil Service. This theory also
emphasizes separation of power between the legislature, judiciary and civil service. It also
advocates for protection of human rights of the people in the state. Max Weber’s contribution to this theory is based on the emphasis that liberal economies are the building blocks of liberal democracies. In a liberal democracy the state does not interfere in the economy. The state makes policies and laws to enhance free and fair participation of the private sector I the economy. The economy is driven by market forces of supply and demand (Mc Grew 2000 and
Jayasura (2001)

3. Human Rights Theory.
Human rights theory has well been articulated by Issa Shiviji a prominent social scientist in
East Africa who observes that human rights are understood as individual entitlements or claims
against the state. Human rights proclaim the universality, immortality and immutability of
human beings (Shivji 1989). The strength of this theory is found in the fact that as long as a
state is recognized by the United Nations Organization as an autonomous state in the internal
community it is obliged to promote and protect fundamental human rights of the people. If the
state violates the rights of its people or allows acts of human rights violence to be committed, then such a state has a case to answer to the internal community. This theory has been criticized by sections of scholars in the third world as perpetuating neocolonialism.

4. Globalization Theory.
Globalization theory is based on the analysis that in the last two decades developments in
information communication and technology has made national boundaries of individual states
in the globe irrelevant. Thus the nation state has continued to lose its significance and
autonomy over time. Globalization then brings out the view that social relations and economic
transactions have become de-linked from state territorial geography so that human social,
economic and political relations are played out in the globe as a single village. The critics of this theory note that globalization is a threat to nation state sovereignty. It’s also a threat to democracy. This is because in a globalizing world, the forces that influence people’s lives are transnational and supra territorial, yet democracy is rooted in the borders of a nation state (Olssen 2006).
Political science is still searching for appropriate theories to explain the changes that have been taking place in Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa since 1990. There is a return of
organizational theory and a broad investigation of the constraints on policy making and policy
alternatives. There is renewed interest in the factors affecting the development of democratic
government.

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Titany answered the question on October 28, 2021 at 08:43