Special Issue: Safeguarding Election Management Bodies in the Age of Democratic Recession (SAJIA Vol 30.3)

It is our pleasure to announce a special issue of the South African Journal of International Affairs (Volume 30.3), entitled ‘Safeguarding Election Management Bodies in the Age of Democratic Recession’. This timeous special issue is now published open access on the Taylor & Francis website here

Several of the articles were presented at an international conference on this topic hosted by the Electoral Commission of South Africa while the Chair of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB), in November 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Guest editors Toby James (University of East Anglia, UK), Khabele Matlosa (formerly with the AU and now at the University of Johannesburg) and Victor Shale (Electoral Commission of South Africa), in their introduction to the issue present a compelling analysis of the implications of democratic recession for election monitoring bodies and how these important actors around the world can be best equipped to respond.  They also introduce the articles in the special issue, as listed below, including two articles focused on the impact of social media on electoral processes and how to regulate against abuse of these new forms of communication without opening the doors for authoritarian control of the public discourse.

Introduction:

Safeguarding election management bodies in the age of democratic recession

Toby James, Khabele Matlosa and Victor Shale

Research articles

Global trends and impact of democratic recession: Hard choices for the Global South

By Khabele Matlosa

Discrepancy between theory and practice: Democratic recession or a crisis of state legitimacy?

By Mohamed Salih

African election management bodies in the era of democratic backsliding

By Sonali Campion and Attahiru Muhammadu Jega

Are polarised elections the hardest to deliver? Explaining global variations in electoral management body performance

By Toby James and Holly Ann Garnet

Election staff training: Tracing global patterns of institutionalisation

By Toby James, Erik Asplund, Sonali Campion and Holly Ann Garnett

Electoral management for a maturing democracy: A look at the contribution of the South African Electoral Commission

By Dirk Kotze

Seeing the forest – and the trees: The global challenge of regulating social media for democracy

By Nanjala Nyabola

Reconstructing elections in a digital world

By Nighat Dad and Shymla Khan

Preserving trust in democracy:  The Brazilian Superior Electoral Court’s quest to tackle disinformation in elections

By Rafael Rubio and Vitor de Andrade Monteiro

Constitution-building and safeguarding the integrity of elections in Africa

By Oagile Dingake

Inclusive elections? The case of persons with disabilities in the European Union

By Amin Rabitsch, Alejandro Moledo and Michael Lidauer

Mitigating the impact of democratic recession through electoral assistance

By Baïdessou Soukolgué

The role of the African Union in tackling democratic recession in Africa

By Robert Gerenge

Book reviews

Liberalism and Its Discontents, By Francis Fukuyama

Reviewed by: Sishuwa Sishuwa

How to Rig an Election, By Nic Cheeseman and Brian Klaas

Reviewed by: Mpilo Pearl Sithole

Why Bother With Elections?, By Adam Przeworski

Reviewed by: Victor Shale

Electoral Violence, Corruption, and Political Order, By Sarah Birch

Reviewed by: Leontine Loeber

The views expressed in this publication/article are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA).

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