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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | Participation and Support for the Constitution in Uganda |
Author: | Moehler, Devra C. |
Year: | 2006 |
Periodical: | Journal of Modern African Studies |
Volume: | 44 |
Issue: | 2 |
Period: | June |
Pages: | 275-308 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Uganda |
Subjects: | constitutions political participation Politics and Government Law, Human Rights and Violence |
External link: | https://www.jstor.org/stable/3876158 |
Abstract: | A major challenge for transitioning States is to create a constituency of citizens to support and defend the new constitution. Participatory constitution-making is one of the most often recommended methods for enhancing constitutional legitimacy. This research tests the claim that public participation in the Ugandan constitution-making process built support for the 1995 constitution. Contrary to expectations, multivariate analysis of survey data demonstrates that citizens who were active in the process were no more supportive of the constitution than those who stayed at home. In-depth interviews reveal that local political leaders, not participation, caused citizens to view the constitution as legitimate or illegitimate. Constitutions are difficult for citizens to evaluate, so they rely on political elites for information and opinions. To predict whether participation will strengthen or weaken constitutional support, it is necessary to examine the messages that elites communicate to citizens about their participation, the process, and the resulting constitution. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract] |