This essay analyzes the role of ethno-political organizations in Nigeria's quest for democracy. It inquires into how their interaction in the recent transition to democracy curtailed and/or exacerbated politically pertinent conflicts among ethnic groups. It is argued that the salience of ethno-political organizations in Nigeria's recent transition rests, first, on the historical process of stat...

The article is a review of the famous book by Robert Michels (1876-1936) published in 1911 but only recently translated into Russian, Political Parties. A Sociological Study Oligarchical Tendencies Modern Democracy (Moscow: Publishing House “Delo”, 2022. 448 p.). This its first translation from German Russian I. Ivakina under scientific editorship D. Karasev. Based on analysis main ideas relate...

This paper develops a model to analyze economic performance under different political regimes. An “oligarchic” society, where political power is in the hands of major producers, protects their property rights but also tends to erect significant entry barriers against new entrepreneurs. Democracy, where political power is more widely diffused, imposes redistributive taxes on producers, but tends...

SILENT DEMOCRACY, NOISY MEDIA The aim of my research in Silent Democracy, Noisy Media is to study representative democracy and the public sphere as a domain of democracy through four specific decision-making processes. According to Habermas, the public sphere is an analytical category between the state and civil society, and embraces more than just the media, serving as a common theatre for cit...

As is widely accepted by scholars, much of the Western philosophies have roots in ancient Greece. Among the most influential ancient Greek figures is the “Father of History,” Herodotus of Halicarnassus, who chronicled the history of the Persian Wars. Herodotus used the Histories as a medium for discussing the political trends of his time, specifically those in Athens. Herodotus shared his views...

Plato was born in Athens in 427 BC to a well established aristocratic family. His father, Ariston, could trace his lineage back to the old kings of Athens; his mother, Perictione, was a sister of Charmides and the cousin of Critas, two prominent figures in the Athenian oligarchy of 404-403 BC. Plato also had two brothers, Glaucon and Adeimantus, who are portrayed in his masterpiece, The Republi...

This paper analyses the dynamics of inequality, democratization and economic development in a political economy model of growth where education is both the engine of growth and a determinant of political participation. In a context with imperfect capital markets, we investigate the incentives for an educated oligarchy to subsidize the poor’s education and to initiate a democratic transition. We...

In his landmark work The Political Theory of a Compound Republic,* 1 the American political scientist Vincent Ostrom identified two theories of government which have contended in the intellectual and political history of modem civilisation. The first theory Ostrom associated with the 17th century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, although it can be traced back to ancient times. This is the ide...