Relevance of - United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

3. The theoretical framework, as outlined in the concept paper, is appropriate.
The theory on why traditional institutions can contribute to Africa’s socio-economic
transformation is based on the following two propositions:
(a) Political values and practices of the decentralized political systems largely converge
with democratic values and are likely to enable these systems to contribute to democratic
transformation. The most common political values of the decentralized systems include:
• Decentralization of power;
• Direct participation in decision-making;
• Resolution of conflicts by narrowing differences;
• Respect for dissent and protection of minority views and interests by fostering
consensus on decisions;
• Narrowing the gap between the rulers and the ruled through direct participation
of all adult males in making and in enforcing rules and by shortening the term of
service of office holders; and
• Equitable access to land.
(b) Chieftaincy systems have the potential to facilitate democratic transformation
and economic development: chiefs, being part of the political élite, can be expected to
have the tendency to advance self-interest at the expense of community interests. Chiefs,
however, are not sovereign. They serve under the State although they obtain their position
from their communities and not from the State. Under these conditions, whether or not
chiefs promote community interests and democratic governance (Y) largely depends on a
number of factors, including:
• The nature of the state (Sn);
• The level of democratic awareness of the population, which is influenced by the
nature of traditional political values and level of education (Pa);
• The mechanisms of accountability of the chieftaincy system (Ca); and
• The administrative effectiveness of the sitting chief (Ce).
The hypothesis on what determines the democratizing role of chiefs can be expressed as
follows:
Y = f (Sn, Pa, Ca, Ce)
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