Civil Society and the Search for Development Alternatives in Cameroon
Keywords:
Civil Society, Development Alternatives, CameroonSynopsis
CODESRIA, ISBN: 978-286978-220-4 ; 227 pages, 2008
Recent developments have witnessed the emergence of civil society as a major development actor whose potentials and capacity, especially in Africa, are often taken for granted and treated as limitless.
A critical assessment of some of their structures (NGOs, religious organisations, trade unions, home-based associations, women’s mobilisation structures, local community organisations, and the youth) and the legal and political context of the operation of civil society in Cameroon shows a popular effervescence that is visible in social development initiatives; Although this would complement the state and free enterprise, it is however often frustrated by the state’s suspicion in a context of rising social awareness and protest that is assimilated with political opposition or attempts at manipulation along partisans lines.
This book is a call to reform the framework and civil society to assess its components and roles in shaping the future of Africa.
Chapters
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Introduction
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A Balance Sheet of Economic Development Experience since Independence
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The Legal Framework of Civil Society and Social Movements
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The Evolution of Trade Unionism and the Prospects for Alternatives to the Labour Question
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Religious Organisations and Differential Responses to the Economic CrisisThe Roman Catholic Church and the Full Gospel Mission
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On the Viability of Associational Life in Traditional Society and Home-Based Associations
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Traditions of Women’s Social Protest Movements and Collective MobilisationLessons from Aghem and Kedjom Women
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Micro-credit, Financial Sector Reform and Welfare
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Focus and Quality of NGOs as Partners in Development
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NGO Involvement in Environmental Protection in the North West Province
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Political Leadership, State–Civil Society Relations and the Search for Development Alternatives
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The Youth, the Challenge of the New Educational Order and Development Alternatives
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Towards a Synthesis
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