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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Living Legitimacy: A New Approach To Good Government In Africa, Ajume H. Wingo
Living Legitimacy: A New Approach To Good Government In Africa, Ajume H. Wingo
New England Journal of Public Policy
This article argues for the reorientation of African governments from a model that privileges the central or garrison states to one rooted in the living experiences of citizens, such as their economic conditions, fellowship associations, local governments, and community self-reliance. It begins by describing and analyzing in depth an example of a set of moral, political, and social institutions that still work well to make collective decisions that the members of the community consider legitimate and follow without coercion. It demonstrates that a legitimate government is not and should not be a matter of instituting finished, polished, or ready-made solutions …
Redeeming The City: Exploring The Relationship Between Church And Metropolis, Meredith Ramsay
Redeeming The City: Exploring The Relationship Between Church And Metropolis, Meredith Ramsay
New England Journal of Public Policy
The author calls attention to a neglected force in urban political life by highlighting how positivism undermined scholarly interest in cultural forces, particularly religion. She shows that although community organizing was formerly led by leftist radicals, today it is led by the church. Five factors contribute to the leading role of congregations in grassroots organizing and urban revitalization. Analysis and interpretation of these factors led the author to conclude that secularization and urban restructuring have left only the church with a sufficient moral and institutional presence in distressed urban neighborhoods to spearhead a return to more direct participatory forms of …