Civil society, the state and democracy in Africa

The importance of new civil society organisations for creating and maintaining democracy in Africa has been greatly overstated. Scholars and donors holding the conventional view claim that new autonomous, interest‐specific and rule‐respecting associations can liberalise authoritarian states and sustain democratic governance. But they idealise the Western practices from which they borrow and overlook the defects in the outdated pluralist argument they urge on Africa, particularly its inequalities of access, difficulties in responding to problems of collective action and lack of local finance. However, because of the paradoxical position of the state in civil society, the problem of creating civil society organisations that are powerful enough to force the state into democratic reform might also weaken it severely. Excluding aggressive organisations, such as ethnic or religious associations, on the ground that they are uncivic is myopic. If associations that are both strong and democratically oriented are created, they would challenge the capacity of state institutions to reconcile interests. A broader strategy of governance that takes into account both building civil society and assisting political institutions is more likely to contribute to democracy.