Money in Politics: Challenges and Strategies for Africa
Political party finance and related corruption pose one of the greatest threats to democratic and economic development worldwide. Corruption in politics, particularly during election periods, compromises a critical asset of democracy: the faith and support of ordinary citizens in the political system. When political parties fail to appeal to voters through the development of party platforms or suffer from weak institutional capacities, they often turn to vote buying as a means of securing support. This in turn creates competitive election spending, driving up the cost of getting elected. As a result of high campaign costs, political parties become increasingly dependent on monied interests or, in the case of incumbents, on the abuse of state resources. Consequently, the basic underlying principles of democracy—such as one person, one vote, and government accountability—are undermined and public confidence in the political process is eroded. In some cases, already limited public funds are diverted for private gain.
Over the past several years, party financing scandals have shaken countries in every region of the world, drawing increased international attention to the problem. In response, government officials and activists have launched public awareness campaigns and introduced legislative initiatives designed to restrict spending or improve disclosure about the sources of party funding and the expenditure of campaign funds. The success of these efforts varies and typically depends on a combination of legislation, enforcement regimes, sustained political will for reform, and public pressure to demand more accountability in politics.
Political party finance and political corruption scandals are by no means exclusive to Africa. However, whereas a wide range of literature has been published on Western Europe, North American and Australia, relatively little research exists on the way these issues impact the continent and possible solutions to the problem. In February 2003, NDI launched the Africa Political Party Finance Initiative (APPFI), one of the first attempts to understand and evaluate the challenges of political party financing in Africa. Under the first component of the program, NDI gathered information on political party financing legal frameworks and politicians', academics' and civic activists' perceptions of political party financing in 22 countries around the world. Money in Politics: A Study of Party Financing Practices in 22 Countries, published in 2005, contains a comparative analysis across all the countries as well as individual profiles of party finance laws, practices and challenges in each country studied. Twelve of the countries in the study are in Africa.
Under the second component of the program, NDI supported the efforts of four local civic groups: the Center for Democratic Development (CDD), Ghana; the Center for Governance and Development (CGD), Kenya; the Réseau Africain pour le Développement Intégré (RADI), Senegal; and the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) to raise awareness about party financing practices and their impact on governance and development and to create momentum for reform in their respective countries. Additional information on activities in the four countries is available here. A selection of materials produced by the four implementing partners is also available below. Party Finance Reform in Africa, published as a companion booklet to Money in Politics, further describes the accomplishments and lessons learned from activities in the four countries.
The APPFI was funded by the United Kingdom's Department for International Development.
For more information, please contact:
Centre for Governance and Development (CGD)
P. O. Box 4037-00506
Nairobi
Kenya
Telephone/Fax: +254 (20) 734 576/734 579 Send Email
For more information, please contact:
Réseau Africain pour le Développement Intégré (RADI)
BP 120885
Dakar
Senegal
Telephone: +221 824 2857/825 75 33
Fax: +221 825 7536 Send Email Alt Email www.radi-afrique.net
For more information, please contact:
Institute for Democracy in South Africa(IDASA)
6 Spin Street
P. O. Box 1739
Cape Town 8000
Republic of South Africa
Telephone: +27 (21) 467 5600
Fax: +27 (21) 462 5261 www.idasa.org.za
Contact Information
For more information, please contact:
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