Decentralisation in Cameroon and the Anglophones’ Struggle for Autonomy
| dc.contributor.author | Epongo, Emmanuel Makia | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Van Nieuwkerk, Anthoni | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-09-12T10:34:32Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-09-12T10:34:32Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023 | |
| dc.description | A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Johannesburg 2023 | |
| dc.description.abstract | In Cameroon, decentralisation was introduced in 1996 to promote development, democracy and good governance at the local level. However, decentralisation exacerbated conflicts between the Anglophone minority and the Francophone-majority government, resulting in a civil war in 2017. Therefore, this research explores how the implementation of decentralisation in the two Anglophone regions exacerbated conflicts between the Anglophone minority and the Francophone-majority government. Despite the growing literature on decentralisation and conflicts, very little research has been conducted on conflicts arising from former independent colonial territories that reunited under a federal system and later evolved to a decentralised unitary system, a shortcoming addressed by this research. This study used qualitative methodology and a case study design. The research was conducted at the Kumba and Bamenda city councils in the Southwest and Northwest regions, respectively. Participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling techniques for semi-structured interviews. Data from interviews, observation and archival documents were merged and analysed through thematic analysis. The findings suggest that decentralisation in the Anglophone regions is more of deconcentration than devolution. Understanding how decentralisation increased intrastate conflict between the Anglophone minority and the Francophone-majority government could have a broader significance for researchers, governments and policymakers seeking to mitigate conflicts, particularly in Africa, with diverse societies prone to intrastate conflicts | |
| dc.description.submitter | MM2024 | |
| dc.faculty | Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Epongo, Emmanuel Makia. (2023). Decentralisation in Cameroon and the Anglophones’ Struggle for Autonomy [PhD thesis, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WireDSpace.https://hdl.handle.net/10539/40750 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10539/40750 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg | |
| dc.rights | © 2023 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. | |
| dc.rights.holder | University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg | |
| dc.school | WITS Business School | |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.subject | Decentralisation | |
| dc.subject | Intrastate conflicts | |
| dc.subject | Mitigate conflicts | |
| dc.subject | Eroded autonomy | |
| dc.subject | Divided societies | |
| dc.subject.other | SDG-17: Partnerships for the goals | |
| dc.title | Decentralisation in Cameroon and the Anglophones’ Struggle for Autonomy | |
| dc.type | Thesis |