University of Florida Homepage

Exploring Suitable Electoral Systems for Promotion of Women’s Representation in Tanzania and Rwanda

by Victoria Melkisedeck Lihiru Abstract This article explores suitable electoral system(s) for the promotion of women’s representation in the Tanzania and Rwanda from a legal standpoint. The scrutiny of international law finds an absence of legal guidance on the favorable electoral system for enhancing the participation of women in elections, except trivially under the 1995 […]

Democratization and Public Accountability at the Grassroots in Tanzania: A Missing Link

by Matrona Kabyemela Abstract Democratization processes in most developing countries like Tanzania generate concern as to the extent to which they promote public accountability at the grassroots. Although there have been various interventions to improve governance at the national and grassroots level, little is known about citizens’ ability to hold accountable their village government resulting […]

Commodifying Water in Coastal Tanzania: Natural Resource Management and Social Relations, 1926-1937

by Chau Johnson Kelly Abstract Based on a close read of colonial archives from Dar es Salaam, this article examines how the commodification and regulation of water led to friction between residents and colonial officials in Mikindani, Tanzania shortly after Britain’s acquisition of the territory. Questions of failed development and technology transfer are juxtaposed against […]

Employment Relationships and Organizing Strategies in the Informal Construction Sector

by Jill Wells and Arthur Jason Abstract The expansion of self-employment, casual labor and outsourcing in the construction sector around the world and the growing involvement of intermediaries has led to an increasing complexity of employment relationships. The paper discusses the implications of this complexity for collective organizing, drawing on recent studies of informal labor in the […]

The Great Lakes Crisis

Introduction by Michael Chege In the third week of October this year, the “Cobra” militia, commanded by the former president of Congo-Brazzaville, Dennis Sessou-Ngueso, took control of the national airport and the presidential palace in Brazzaville thus bringing to an end the two-way civil war that pitted him against the forces of the democratically-elected president […]

Justice Administration Outside the Ordinary Courts of Law in Mainland Tanzania: The Case of Ward Tribunals in Babati District

by Yusufu Q. Lawi, Boston University Introduction Since colonial days, justice administration in what is now mainland Tanzania, has invariably involved arbitral procedures alongside the more court-based litigation process. The British colonial government in Tanzania (then Tanganyika) systematized and put in place a system of customary arbitration which, although distinct, formed part of the colonial […]

The Organizational Structures for Community-Based Natural Resources Management in Southern Africa

by Bruce Campbell and Sheona Shackleton Abstract Throughout Southern Africa there has been a move to decentralize natural resource management (NRM). Decentralization has taken many forms, resulting in different organizational structures for NRM. Fourteen case studies from eight countries can be classed into four types, depending on the key organizations for NRM: (1) district-level organizations; […]

Determinants of Rural Labor Market Participation in Tanzania

by John K. Mduma and Peter Wobst Abstract Participation in rural off-farm activities (outside a household’s own farm) is one of the livelihood strategies among poor rural households in many developing countries.  One component of off-farm activities accessible to the very poor is wage labor because it does not require any complementary physical capital.  A […]