Politics & Economy

Politics & Economy

Queen Elizabeth II: The End of the ‘New Elizabethan Age’

This is the image of the Queen that many will remember: an older woman, dressed pristinely, clutching her iconic, familiar handbag. While she was head of state throughout many of the seismic political, social and cultural changes of the 20th and 21st centuries, the fact that she rarely gave a political opinion means she successfully navigated the monarch’s constitutional political neutrality.

by The Conversation
Politics & Economy

Debt Cancellation Can Alleviate the Unending Cycle of Debt Distress and Crises in Sub-Saharan Africa

The inability to make timely debt service repayments, due a myriad of internal and external factors, including COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine crisis, have increased concerns about an impending debt crisis in Africa. Debt suspension and debt relief are laudable initiatives, but a radical step towards debt cancellation can free the world’s poorest countries from the unending cycle of unsustainable debt-service payments, abject poverty, and underdevelopment.

by Richard Oduor Oduku
Elections LONGREADS

High Cost of Elections is a Threat to Democracy in Africa

African countries cannot sustain the high cost of elections in the face of competing public spending priorities. The dependence on donor support to bridge election budget deficits erode national sovereignties and expose countries to foreign manipulation. With Sub-Saharan African countries holding the most expensive elections in the world, there is an urgent need to rethink the entire democratic process.

by Richard Oduor Oduku