{"title":"The Political Economy of Aid in the Sahel","authors":"Isaline Bergamaschi","doi":"10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.20","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.20","url":null,"abstract":"The chapter looks at the issue of aid dependence from donors in Sahelian countries. It argues that aid dependence is the result of a historical process whose roots are found in the colonial experience, and that has led over decades to the internationalization and co-production of public policies in the countries under study. It then shows that in reaction to the promotion of standardized policy measures, elites in the Sahel shape the political economy, strategies, and processes of appropriation in order to protect their interests. Finally, the chapter highlights four drivers through which the aid regime reproduces itself in pursuit of development and poverty reduction.","PeriodicalId":209487,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the African Sahel","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116896280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Civil Society and Political Order in the Sahel","authors":"A. Loada","doi":"10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.26","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.26","url":null,"abstract":"Like elsewhere in Africa, civil society in its current forms re-emerged in the Sahelian countries with political liberalization and the transition from authoritarian rule to democratic systems. This chapter surveys the emergence and the forms of civil society, and analyzes its roles and practices in relation to the efforts to create and maintain political order. Sahelian civil societies in each country have struggled to develop, to maintain their autonomy, and to participate in the construction of new political orders, in the face of the authoritarian impulses of powerholders to domesticate and control them. Civil society is called on to play an important role in promoting, defending, and protecting the principles and values of democracy and social justice in the face of states’ efforts to establish stable political order. The chapter explores the many factors shaping its ability to do so in the Sahel.","PeriodicalId":209487,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the African Sahel","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121717259","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Senegala","authors":"Marie Brossier","doi":"10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.2","url":null,"abstract":"Senegal has a history of representative politics dating from the nineteenth century, and has experienced political stability since independence in 1960. Progressive political liberalization since the 1980s has occurred without coups or national conferences, making the country an outlier in the region. However, despite two peaceful transitions of power in 2000 and 2012, Senegal’s politics have also been continuously marred by autocratic behavior and periodic limitations on civil liberties. As such, Senegal remains a “patrimonial democracy.” The country’s social and generational inequalities have been exacerbated by mismanagement of resource reallocation by the state, as well as by its dependence on international aid and remittances. The worrisome socioeconomic situation has sparked migration but also bolstered the engagement of younger generations, with social movements increasingly active in the public arena and more women participating in politics. In addition, religious diversification and greater religious pluralism have increasingly challenged the historically central role of Islam, and especially the Sufi orders, in politics.","PeriodicalId":209487,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the African Sahel","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125749627","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Trans-Saharan Migration Through and From the Sahel","authors":"Harouna Mounkaila","doi":"10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.43","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.43","url":null,"abstract":"This chapter describes the dynamics of trans-Saharan migration in relation to the migratory policies implemented in the Sahel in the second decade of the twenty-first century. It argues that the circulation of migrants between the Sahara’s northern and southern edges is not a new phenomenon even though it has intensified and diversified in recent decades. It pays particular attention to the migration policies implemented in Sahelian countries under pressure from the European Union and other partners, with the goal of containing the migration of nationals as well as persons from other countries who are passing through the Sahel. The chapter discusses how the focus on securitization of borders is leading to the criminalization of migration in transit countries. It then analyzes the repercussions of these policies on the conditions for migration, the longstanding migratory patterns in this zone, and the region’s unsteady socioeconomic equilibrium.","PeriodicalId":209487,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the African Sahel","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127529698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Islamic Intellectual Traditions in the Sahel","authors":"Rüdiger Seesemann","doi":"10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.31","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.31","url":null,"abstract":"This chapter offers an analysis of Islamic scholarly culture and intellectual currents in the Sahel through the lens of different conceptions of Islamic knowledge. It discusses three epistemological patterns called traditionalist, reformist, and Islamist and links them to broader intellectual developments within Islam. In the traditionalist paradigm, knowledge practices are rooted in classical Islamic notions of character formation, described as a habitus that can only be attained through internalization and personal connection to a master. In the reformist paradigm, which largely corresponds to “Salafi” or “Wahhabi” epistemology, the primacy of the textual evidence supersedes the authority of the master. The Islamist paradigm pursues a new epistemological approach that seeks to fuse Islamic and “Western” knowledge. The chapter indicates how the different epistemologies intersect with broader worldviews and highlights the ways in which “Salafi” or “Wahhabi” epistemology connects to jihadist action in the Sahel in the early twenty-first century.","PeriodicalId":209487,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the African Sahel","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115642418","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Militaries in Sahelian Politics","authors":"Sebastian Elischer","doi":"10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.27","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.27","url":null,"abstract":"The chapter analyses the trajectories of military rule across the francophone Sahel. It distinguishes between three clusters of countries. Senegal constitutes one extreme on the civil–military spectrum as it has enjoyed continuous civilian rule. Mauritania and Chad, where military rulers have remained part of the ruling elites since the 1970s, constitute the other extreme. Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali are located somewhere in between. Although the Burkinabè armed forces for a long time acted as a pillar of autocratic rule, a large segment of the military eventually helped pave the way for democratization. In Niger and Mali military rule ended with the liberalization of Africa’s political sphere in the early 1990s. Both militaries have again intervened in politics through coups, yet each intervention has proven short-lived. There remains, however, a visible faction that wishes to return to military rule within the armed forces in every Sahelian country.","PeriodicalId":209487,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the African Sahel","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127250290","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Drivers of Growth and Decline in Sahelian Livestock Sectors","authors":"M. Eilittä","doi":"10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.16","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.16","url":null,"abstract":"Sahelian livestock systems, an indelible feature of its landscapes and significant contributor to its economies, are under significant pressures to change. Whereas high predicted demand increases for livestock products offer great prospects for income growth, expansion of croplands and settlements as well as climate change will likely negatively impact Sahelian producers. It is clear that for Sahel to respond to livestock market opportunities, changes in traditional trade and production practices are needed, in particular to improve reach of market signals to producers, reduce the high transaction costs, and improve productivity. The Sahelian markets have to date shown continued capacity to supply growing Sahelian and regional markets, and in fact the changes, are already evident. These include expansion and diversification of trader networks, changing procurement patterns, agricultural expansion, and increased use of supplemental feeds, among others. These changes are certain to further evolve.","PeriodicalId":209487,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the African Sahel","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132526681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Burkina Faso","authors":"E. Harsch","doi":"10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.5","url":null,"abstract":"Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) shares many of the problems of other countries in the Sahel. Those include an arid and increasingly difficult climate, a weak economy, high levels of poverty, a youthful and rapidly growing population, ethnic and religious tensions, and a history of poor governance. While most states in the region also have experienced notable political instability, Burkina Faso has had a particular tendency toward rebellion, ranging from a military-led revolutionary experience in the 1980s to a popular insurrection that toppled a long-ruling autocrat in 2014. The latter upheaval brought a restoration of democracy, constitutional order, and the possibility of major reform. That progress, however, has been threatened by an escalation of regional and local jihadi attacks since 2015. As security has increased in priority for Burkina Faso, so has the country’s direct collaboration and engagement with its Sahelian neighbors.","PeriodicalId":209487,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the African Sahel","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124479403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Land Use Change and Climate-Smart Agriculture in the Sahel","authors":"Suzanne E. Cotillon, G. Tappan, C. Reij","doi":"10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.12","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.12","url":null,"abstract":"In the 1970s and 1980s, the Sahel experienced recurrent drought and famine. Farmers and their development partners reacted to this crisis by developing climate-smart agricultural practices and changes in land use, including water-harvesting techniques to restore degraded land to productivity. In several densely populated parts of the Sahel, farmers began to protect and manage woody species that regenerated naturally on their farmland. Farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) is a foundational practice that produces multiple benefits, such as maintaining or improving soil fertility, which raises crop yields, and increasing the production of tree-based fodder, fruit, and firewood. In Niger’s Maradi and Zinder Regions alone, farmers have applied FMNR practices on 4.2 million hectares. The findings presented in this chapter suggest that the future of agriculture in the Sahel will be largely determined by whether low-income smallholder farmers will manage to improve soil fertility, which will depend on maintaining substantial densities of on-farm trees thus increasing tree cover.","PeriodicalId":209487,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the African Sahel","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130425129","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Corruption and The State in the Sahel","authors":"G. Blundo","doi":"10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.21","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198816959.013.21","url":null,"abstract":"Systemic corruption in the Sahel is the outcome of particular historical and institutional trajectories of state-building efforts, of factionalism and patronage, and of the inability of the state apparatus to rely on alternative mechanisms to ensure its survival and legitimacy. One key feature that emerges from the analysis and comparisons of multiple case studies is the extraordinary propagation of everyday corruption, to be distinguished from “big” corruption, and the ambivalent perceptions of it by citizens when dealing with the bureaucracy. Daily corruption practices manifest themselves in a variety of forms and underpin especially the delivery of basic public services. Corruption in the Sahel is an institutionalized way of managing people and exercising power in situations of limited accountability, and is closely connected with other dynamics operating within the social and economic system.","PeriodicalId":209487,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the African Sahel","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130144972","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}