The Politics of Technocracy in Fourth Republic Nigeria
2018; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 61; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1017/asr.2017.99
ISSN1555-2462
Autores Tópico(s)World Systems and Global Transformations
ResumoAbstract: The technocrat, a supposedly apolitical figure who joins government on the basis of technical expertise, looms large in discussions of governance. The empowerment of technocrats has sometimes been taken as a barometer for Africa’s economic and democratic progress. Rejecting this conventional wisdom, this article argues that technocrats are inevitably trapped in a web of politics—politicians leverage the apolitical image of technocrats for political gain, and public debates implicate technocrats as targets of protest. This article pursues this argument through a case study of Nigeria, where technocrats were both politicized and politicizing figures during the rule of the People’s Democratic Party between 1999 and 2015.
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