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Women’s Movements and Challenges to Neopatrimonial Rule: Preliminary Observations from Africa

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  • Aili Tripp

Abstract

Women’s movements in Africa represent one of the key societal forces challenging state clientelistic practices, the politicization of communal differences, and personalized rule. In the 1980s and 1990s we have witnessed not only the demise of patronage‐based women’s wings that were tied to ruling parties, but also the concurrent growth of independent women’s organizations with more far‐reaching agendas. The emergence of such autonomous organizations has been a consequence of the loss of state legitimacy, the opening‐up of political space, economic crisis, and the shrinking of state resources. Drawing on examples from Africa, this article shows why independent women’s organizations and movements have often been well situated to challenge clientelistic practices tied to the state. Gendered divisions of labour, gendered organizational modes and the general exclusion of women from both formal and informal political arenas have defined women’s relationship to the state, to power, and to patronage. These characteristics have, on occasion, put women’s movements in a position to challenge various state‐linked patronage practices. The article explores some of the implications of these challenges.

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  • Aili Tripp, 2001. "Women’s Movements and Challenges to Neopatrimonial Rule: Preliminary Observations from Africa," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 32(1), pages 33-54, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:devchg:v:32:y:2001:i:1:p:33-54
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-7660.00195
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    Cited by:

    1. Boris Branisa & Maria Ziegler, 2010. "Reexamining the link between gender and corruption: The role of social institutions," Courant Research Centre: Poverty, Equity and Growth - Discussion Papers 24, Courant Research Centre PEG.
    2. Mary Kay Gugerty & Michael Kremer, 2008. "Outside Funding and the Dynamics of Participation in Community Associations," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 52(3), pages 585-602, July.
    3. Kim, Seh Young, 2022. "Analyzing the impacts of informal institutional factors affecting gender inequality: Evidence from 43 countries," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 28(C).
    4. Okechukwu C. Iheduru, 2003. "Corporate Amazons or Empowerment Spice Girls?: Elite Black Businesswomen and Transformation in South Africa," Journal of Developing Societies, , vol. 19(4), pages 473-508, December.
    5. Branisa, Boris & Klasen, Stephan & Ziegler, Maria, 2013. "Gender Inequality in Social Institutions and Gendered Development Outcomes," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 252-268.

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