PUBLICATIONS

Streets of Bamako during the Malian 2020 Coup. [Credit: Mariama Diallo via VoA]

ECOWAS’ Response to Coups in West Africa, 2020-2021

Catherine Galley, Research Analyst, Leadership & Governance Policy Lab May 26, 2022

West Africa is the most coup-prone region in Africa. As coups are associated with decreased economic growth, an increase in human rights abuses, and a lack of democracy, how ECOWAS has responded to recent coups is an important topic of study. This report thus examines ECOWAS’ responses to the 2020 Malian Coup, the 2021 Guinean Coup, and the 2021 military transition of power in Mali. This report further discusses the importance of preventative measures, measures such as ensuring good governance in member states and preventing state leaders from manipulating the constitution to remain in power.

African refugees navigate resettlement systems in the United States

United States Refugee Resettlement during the COVID-19 Pandemic as it Relates to African Migration

Solomon Tejada Brown, Senior Research Analyst and Ray Schneider, Research Analyst, Leadership & Governance Policy Lab May 26, 2022

African refugee migration to the United States traditionally represents the majority of the total amount of refugees that are both anticipated and ultimately resettled in the U.S. per annum. Therefore, when U.S. policies underwent sudden changes in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, African migration was affected the most. U.S. policies towards refugee migration to the U.S. had already endured a host of steady changes leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report looks to analyze these policy changes and determine the effects they had on the migrants.

A French soldier, one of the international forces supporting the relief effort adjusts the concertina wire surrounding the airport while Rwandan refugee children watch

Conflict and Institutional Change in Sub-Saharan Africa

Pandit Mami, Research Analyst, Foreign Policy & Diaspora Studies Policy Lab May 14, 2022

This paper seeks to determine under what conditions would a critical juncture result in an institutional change in countries mired in weak institution traps. Using Rwanda’s historical trajectory as a case in point, the paper illustrates that institutional change needs the initiation and alignment of various strands of endogenous forces to establish social trust, which subsequently become the launching pad for improving quality of governance.