Crusader Complex: Good Governance and Political Settlements in Africa and Beyond

Xu, Tao Louie and Zhou, Shengjie (2024): Crusader Complex: Good Governance and Political Settlements in Africa and Beyond.

Abstract

This perspective critically examines the global alignment of good governance as a crusader complex to ideologically universalise Western market-oriented institutions across the South. With the case of Sub-Saharan Africa, the essay interrogates the historical, sociopolitical, and economic implications of imposing one-size-fits-all governance standards without sufficient contextualisation. The political settlements approach is called to recognise diverse power structures and local realities. Scanning South Africa, Mauritius, Senegal, and Botswana, it demonstrates the necessity of tailoring governance to specific contexts with pragmatic political settlements.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: good governance; political settlements framework; Africa
• Subjects: B - History of Economic Thought, Methodology, and Heterodox Approaches > B5 - Current Heterodox Approaches; B - History of Economic Thought, Methodology, and Heterodox Approaches > B5 - Current Heterodox Approaches > B52 - Institutional ; Evolutionary; Z - Other Special Topics > Z1 - Cultural Economics ; Economic Sociology ; Economic Anthropology; Z - Other Special Topics > Z1 - Cultural Economics ; Economic Sociology ; Economic Anthropology > Z13 - Economic Sociology ; Economic Anthropology ; Social and Economic Stratification; Z - Other Special Topics > Z1 - Cultural Economics ; Economic Sociology ; Economic Anthropology > Z18 - Public Policy

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