Obert Hodzi shares his top recommendations for International Day of Democracy 2022
The theme for this year’s International Day of Democracy is the importance of media freedom to democracy, peace, and delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals and we are honoured to have Dr.Obert Hodzi share his top five book recommendations to commemorate the day.
Dr Hodzi is a Lecturer in Politics at the University of Liverpool, UK. His research focuses on agency and political elites, the politics of human rights and development, and non-Western emerging powers in global governance with empirical expertise in China and Africa. Prior to joining the University of Liverpool, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, Finland. He has been a visiting researcher at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (Ethiopia), Nordic Africa Institute (Sweden), Renmin University of China and the African Studies Centre at Boston University. He has also worked for international and regional organizations in Zimbabwe, Kenya and Germany focusing on democratic governance and transitional justice projects – and he is admitted as a Legal Practitioner in the High Court of Zimbabwe. Tuck into his latest book is The end of China’s non-intervention policy in Africa (2019).
Enjoy his recommendations!
How to rig an election (2018)
By Nic Cheeseman and Brian Klaas
If you need to know why authoritarian leaders hold elections, this is the book. It explains how authoritarians use elections to gain legitimacy while strangling democratisation processes.
Democracy works Turning Politics to Africa's Advantage (2019)
By Greg Mills, Olusegun Obasanjo, Tendai Biti and Jeffrey Herbst
Democracy in Africa, like in other parts of the world, is facing huge challenges. This book by retired and practicing politicians explains why principles, values and inner workings of institutions are essential to making democracy work.
Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes After the Cold War (2010)
By Lucan Ahmad Way and Steven Levitsky
External and internal democratising pressure is critical for democratisation of a polity. But, where incumbents have built structures and institutions to withstand these pressures, democracy becomes a pipe dream and competitive authoritarianism becomes the reality.
Making the World Safe for Dictatorship (2021)
By Alexander Dukalskis
This is my book of the moment – a real gem in explaining how authoritarian regimes manage their images abroad. It explains why authoritarian leaders write opinion pieces in foreign newspapers, engage celebrities and hire public relations firms.
The Trouble With Nigeria (1984)
By Chinua Achebe
My all-time favourite – simple and straight to the point in its explanation of why and how ordinary people are at times the biggest obstacle to a country achieving development.
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