Articles · Vol. 10 No. 1 (2012): Journal of Higher Education in Africa · Pages pp.139–170

The Roles of Higher Education in the Democratization of Politics in Africa: Survey Reports from HERANA

  • Robert Mattes
    Robert Mattes https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0567-9385 (unauthenticated)
    Born and educated in the United States, I spent 25 years researching and teaching in South Africa, before moving to Strathclyde in 2016.  My research focuses on issues and challenges of sustaining democracy, by studying voting, public opinion, and elected legislatures, in the...
    Their articles →
  • Thierry M. Luescher-Mamashela
    Thierry M. Luescher-Mamashela https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6675-0512 (unauthenticated)
    is an experienced higher education specialist conducting research, postgraduate training and mentorship and publishing in South Africa. My core research expertise is in critical studies in higher education transformation; with particular focus on higher education policy,...
    Their articles →
Vol. 10 · 2012 No. 1 Journal of Higher Education in Africa JHEA

Abstract

Against the theory on the nexus of higher education and citizenship, this article brings together the main findings and conclusions of three related studies with African mass publics, parliamentarians from African legisla- tures, and students from three African flagship universities, conducted by the Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network in Africa (HERANA). The article shows that higher education provides advantages in various measures of democratic citizenship and leadership. It plays important roles with regard to access to political information, information gathering skills, and levels of political knowledge; the ability to offer opinions and critical perspectives on politics and the economy; and levels of democratic values and democratic action. Moreover, university-educated MPs seem to make much better sense of the unique complexities of legislatures and their mul- tiple competing functions than their less educated peers. This might reflect the knowledge and analytic skills acquired through higher education, the fact that universities are themselves highly complex institutions that they needed to negotiate as students, and the finding that students acquire ex- tensive organisational leadership experience while at university. In light of this, the article suggests that higher education can play a crucial role in the democratisation of politics in Africa by developing “institution-builders” for state and civil society.

The Roles of Higher Education in the Democratization of Politics in Africa: Survey Reports from HERANA

S’appuyant sur la théorie de la relation entre l’enseignement supérieur et la citoyenneté, cet article rassemble les conclusions principales de trois études liées effectuées par le Réseau de Recherche et de Plaidoyer sur l’Enseignement supérieur en Afrique (Higher Education Research and Ad- vocacy Network in Africa – HERANA). Ces études avaient pour sujets le public de masse africain, des membres de parlements nationaux africains, et finalement, les étudiants de trois universités africaines de premier ordre. L’article démontre qu’une éducation supérieure offre des avantages de na- ture variée à la citoyenneté et au leadership démocratiques. En effet, elle joue un rôle important en matière d’accès aux informations politiques, les compétences dans la collecte d’informations et le niveau de connaissance politique, la capacité d’offrir une opinion et des points de vue critiques sur la politique et l’économie, et différents niveaux de valeurs et d’actions démocratiques. De plus, les parlementaires qui ont un diplôme d’université semblent se débrouiller beaucoup mieux dans les méandres uniques des assemblées législatives et leurs multiples fonctions opposées que leurs collègues moins éduqués. Il est possible que cela soit du aux connaissances et aux talents d’analyse acquis dans l’éducation supérieure, ou bien au fait que les universités sont elles-mêmes des institutions très complexes, qu’il faut maîtriser lors de ses études, en plus de l’acquisition de grands talents d’organisation nécessaires aux étudiants pendant qu’ils sont à l’université. Par conséquent, l’article suggère que l’enseignement supérieur peut jouer un rôle crucial dans la démocratisation de la politique en Afrique en encourageant l’émergence d’individus qui vont renforcer les institutions d’État et de la société civile.

Keywords

democratisation citizenship aggregate

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Author Biographies

  • Robert Mattes

    Born and educated in the United States, I spent 25 years researching and teaching in South Africa, before moving to Strathclyde in 2016.  My research focuses on issues and challenges of sustaining democracy, by studying voting, public opinion, and elected legislatures, in the developing world in general, and Africa and  South Africa in particular.

  • Thierry M. Luescher-Mamashela

    is an experienced higher education specialist conducting research, postgraduate training and mentorship and publishing in South Africa. My core research expertise is in critical studies in higher education transformation; with particular focus on higher education policy, politics and governance; university development in Africa; student politics, student movements, the student experience, and student affairs. My core teaching is supervision and mentorship of postgraduate students and early career researchers. The South African National Research Foundation has awarded me in 2018 a research rating inter alia in acknowledgement of my status as ‘currently the most published researcher internationally on student politics in Africa’.

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