Introduction to Post-Colonial Statehood in Africa

Introduction to Political Science

• No notes in this section

Post-Colonial Statehood in Africa

• A segmentary society is a type of society that is not characterized by centralized political institutions, but rather by equal and autonomous groups (lineages or clans).
• There are three possible reactions to a decline in the performance of social organizations: exit, voice, and loyalty.
• The principle of effective occupation states that colonial powers can only acquire rights over colonial lands if they possess them, i.e., have treaties with local leaders, fly their flag, and establish an administration with a police force to maintain order.

The Berlin Conference (1884)

• The Berlin Conference was convened to discuss African colonization and set up international guidelines for making claims to African land.
• The conference resulted in the "General Act of the Conference," which laid the framework for colonization.
• One of the key decisions made was the principle of effective occupation, which stated that no territory could be formally claimed prior to being directly ruled and administered by the colonial power.

Self-Determination and Exogenous Sovereignty

• Self-determination in the context of colonial states means accepting the hegemony of the colonial power.
• Exogenous sovereignty is the concept of sovereignty being determined by external factors, rather than internal ones.

Contracting State

• A contracting state is a state that has consented to be bound by a treaty, whether or not the treaty has entered into force.

Migration

• The principle of non-refoulement prohibits the expulsion, deportation, or return of a person to a country where they would face a real risk of torture, inhuman treatment, or other serious human rights violations.
• The "migration hump" refers to the phenomenon where increasing per capita income in developing countries is often accompanied by higher emigration rates.

International Relations and Theories

• No notes in this section

Political Economy

• Regulation theory is a political-economic approach that explains phases of stability in the midst of the inherently crisis-prone capitalist mode of production.
• Liberal foreign trade policy aims to avoid direct state intervention in foreign trade, focusing on improving the framework conditions.
• Import-substituting industrialization (ISI) is a trade policy strategy used by developing countries to promote domestic production.
• The Washington Consensus is a set of economic policy recommendations for developing countries, advocated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

Global Governance

• International regimes are institutionalized structures of cooperation between states, enabling political steering across borders.
• Global governance is a concept that refers to the development of governance structures and institutions that transcend national borders.
• De-centering of the state is a phenomenon that raises democratic concerns.

War and State Collapse

• No notes in this section

Democratization and Authoritarianism

• The Milk Tea Alliance is an online democracy and human rights movement that started as an internet meme and evolved into a dynamic multinational protest movement against authoritarianism.

Energy Policy

• No notes in this section

Environmental Policy

• Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is a set of methods aimed at reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
• Monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) are essential components of climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.
• CCS stands for Carbon Capture and Storage, CCU stands for Carbon Capture and Utilization, and CDR stands for Carbon Dioxide Removal.

Introduction to Political Science

• No notes in this section

Post-Colonial Statehood in Africa

• A segmentary society is a type of society that is not characterized by centralized political institutions, but rather by equal and autonomous groups (lineages or clans).
• There are three possible reactions to a decline in the performance of social organizations: exit, voice, and loyalty.
• The principle of effective occupation states that colonial powers can only acquire rights over colonial lands if they possess them, i.e., have treaties with local leaders, fly their flag, and establish an administration with a police force to maintain order.

The Berlin Conference (1884)

• The Berlin Conference was convened to discuss African colonization and set up international guidelines for making claims to African land.
• The conference resulted in the "General Act of the Conference," which laid the framework for colonization.
• One of the key decisions made was the principle of effective occupation, which stated that no territory could be formally claimed prior to being directly ruled and administered by the colonial power.

Self-Determination and Exogenous Sovereignty

• Self-determination in the context of colonial states means accepting the hegemony of the colonial power.
• Exogenous sovereignty is the concept of sovereignty being determined by external factors, rather than internal ones.

Contracting State

• A contracting state is a state that has consented to be bound by a treaty, whether or not the treaty has entered into force.

Migration

• The principle of non-refoulement prohibits the expulsion, deportation, or return of a person to a country where they would face a real risk of torture, inhuman treatment, or other serious human rights violations.
• The "migration hump" refers to the phenomenon where increasing per capita income in developing countries is often accompanied by higher emigration rates.

International Relations and Theories

• No notes in this section

Political Economy

• Regulation theory is a political-economic approach that explains phases of stability in the midst of the inherently crisis-prone capitalist mode of production.
• Liberal foreign trade policy aims to avoid direct state intervention in foreign trade, focusing on improving the framework conditions.
• Import-substituting industrialization (ISI) is a trade policy strategy used by developing countries to promote domestic production.
• The Washington Consensus is a set of economic policy recommendations for developing countries, advocated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

Global Governance

• International regimes are institutionalized structures of cooperation between states, enabling political steering across borders.
• Global governance is a concept that refers to the development of governance structures and institutions that transcend national borders.
• De-centering of the state is a phenomenon that raises democratic concerns.

War and State Collapse

• No notes in this section

Democratization and Authoritarianism

• The Milk Tea Alliance is an online democracy and human rights movement that started as an internet meme and evolved into a dynamic multinational protest movement against authoritarianism.

Energy Policy

• No notes in this section

Environmental Policy

• Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is a set of methods aimed at reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
• Monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) are essential components of climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.
• CCS stands for Carbon Capture and Storage, CCU stands for Carbon Capture and Utilization, and CDR stands for Carbon Dioxide Removal.