New trends in democracy and development: Democratic capitalism in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya

This article examines the complex relationship between capitalism and democracy in contemporary democratic regimes in Africa from the perspective of current trends in economic globalisation. It does so by underscoring the complexity of the prospects for democracy as is illustrated by some controversial trends in South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya. These trends include the 'fractured' executives, as well as the dominant incumbent parties the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria, and the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) in Kenya, that have all been embroiled in scandals recently. Using political economy theoretical themes and frameworks to illustrate the contentious effects that global regimes of capital are having on contemporary national democratic politics, the article shows how a democratic crisis in each country is associated with an economic crisis. It presents South Africa's French Connection Scandal, Nigeria's Globacom Affair, and Kenya's Anglo-Leasing Finance Scandal as iconic archetypes illustrating the thorny relationship between development and democracy in contemporary Africa.