Legislative Institutions and the Democratic Development: A Comparative Analysis of USA and Nigerian Democracies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/V8MWQKeywords:
Democracy, Legislature, Institutions, DevelopmentAbstract
Democratic processes are often influenced by the robustness and efficacy of legislative institutions. While the USA boasts a long-standing democratic tradition, Nigeria, with its intermittent democratic journey since independence, presents a contrasting paradigm. The period from 2015-2023 witnessed significant global political shifts, which posed challenges to these democracies. An examination of how their legislative institutions responded to these challenges, and consequently impacted the democratic processes, becomes imperative. This research aims to provide a comparative analysis of the roles and impacts of legislative institutions in the development of democracy in the USA and Nigeria from 2015-2023. The paper was anchored on the structural functionalist theory—originally developed by sociologists including Emile Durkheim, Bronisław Malinowski, and Talcott Parsons. This study utilizes a qualitative research design. The study reveals that legislative institutions in both countries, despite their differences, faced challenges stemming from partisanship, global political shifts, and internal dynamics. While the USA's legislative challenges often revolved around ideological differences, Nigeria grappled with ethnoreligious and regional loyalties. Nevertheless, both countries' legislative bodies demonstrated resilience and adaptability, emphasizing the structural functionalist theory's assertion on the role of such structures in societal equilibrium. It is recommended that legislative institutions continually evolve in response to societal needs, ensuring they remain true to democratic principles. Cross-national legislative exchanges could also be fostered to share best practices and bolster democratic ideals.
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53. Omotola, J. S. (2009). Nigerian parties and political ideology. Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences, 1(3), 612-634.
54. Oreskes, N., & Conway, E. M. (2010). Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming. Bloomsbury Publishing.
55. Parsons, T. (1951). The social system. The Free Press.
56. Patterson, S. C., & Mughan, A. (2001). Fundamentals of institutional design: The functions and impact of legislators. Congressional Quarterly Press.
57. Peters, B. G., & Pierre, J. (2017). Governance, Politics, and the State. St. Martin’s Press.
58. Rossiter, C. (1961). The Federalist Papers: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay. New American Library.
59. Schmitter, P. C., & Karl, T. L. (1991). What democracy is... and is not. Journal of Democracy, 2(3), 75-88.
60. Smith, A. (2008). The Role of the Legislature in Democracy. Civic Studies, 4(4), 12-27.
61. Smith, D. A. (2019). Tax Crusaders and the Politics of Direct Democracy. Routledge.
62. Suberu, R. T. (2009). Federalism and ethnic conflict in Nigeria. US Institute of Peace Press.
63. Theriault, S. M. (2008). Party Polarization in Congress. Cambridge University Press.
64. Transparency International. (2022). Corruption Perceptions Index.
65. Ukiwo, U. (2011). From "pirates" to "militants": A historical perspective on anti-state and anti-oil company mobilization among the Ijaw of Warri, Western Niger Delta. African Affairs, 106(425), 587-610.
66. Zakaria, F. (1997). The rise of illiberal democracy. Foreign Affairs, 76, 22-43
2. Adegoroye, G. (2007). Public service reform for sustainable development: The Nigerian experience. A paper presented at the Commonwealth Advanced Seminar, New Zealand.
3. Adejumobi, S. (2002). Citizenship, Rights, and the Problem of Conflicts and Civil Wars in Africa. Human Rights Quarterly, 24(1), 148-170.
4. Aiyede, E. R. (2005). Legislatures and the budget process: The case of Nigeria. Legislative Studies Quarterly, 30(2), 221-247.
5. Ake, C. (1981). A political economy of Africa. Longman.
6. Alemika, E. E. O., & Chukwuma, I. C. (2005). Police-community violence in Nigeria. Centre for Law Enforcement Education.
7. Almond, G. A., & Powell, G. B. (1966). Comparative politics: A developmental approach. Little, Brown.
8. Almond, G. A., & Verba, S. (1963). The civic culture: Political attitudes and democracy in five nations. Princeton University Press.
9. Angell, M. (2004). The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It. Random House.
10. Binder, S. A. (2003). Stalemate: Causes and consequences of legislative gridlock. Brookings Institution Press.
11. Binder, S. A., & Smith, S. S. (1997). Politics or Principle? Filibustering in the United States Senate. Brookings Institution Press.
12. Black, B. (1969). Impeachment: A Citizen's Guide. Yale University Press.
13. Bowman, A. O. M., & Kearney, R. D. (2014). State and local government. Cengage Learning.
14. Burnell, P. (2000). Democracy assistance: International co-operation for democratization. Frank Cass.
15. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310 (2010).
16. Dahl, R. A. (1971). Polyarchy: Participation and opposition. Yale University Press.
17. Dahl, R. A. (1989). Democracy and its critics. Yale University Press.
18. Davis, P. (2015). The Magna Carta: Foundations of Democracy. Historical Press.
19. Diamond, L. (1999). Developing democracy: Toward consolidation. Johns Hopkins University Press.
20. Dionne Jr., E. J., Ornstein, N. J., & Mann, T. E. (2017). One Nation After Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate, and the Not-Yet Deported. St. Martin's Press.
21. Easton, D. (1965). A systems analysis of political life. Wiley.
22. Fisher, L. (2004). Presidential war power. University Press of Kansas.
23. Goldwin, R. A., & Schambra, W. A. (1993). How federal is the Constitution? American Enterprise Institute.
24. Gutmann, A., & Thompson, D. (2004). Why deliberative democracy? Princeton University Press.
25. Habermas, J. (1996). Between facts and norms: Contributions to a discourse theory of law and democracy. MIT press.
26. Hamilton, A. (1788). Federalist No. 55. Independent Journal.
27. Hamilton, A., Madison, J., & Jay, J. (1788). The Federalist Papers.
28. Held, D. (2006). Models of democracy. Stanford University Press.
29. Howitt, D., & Preece, D. (2019). Statistics for research. Sage.
30. Huntington, S. P. (1991). The third wave: Democratization in the late twentieth century. University of Oklahoma Press.
31. Ibrahim, J. (2017). The Boko Haram challenge and Nigeria's resistance. Review of African Political Economy, 44(152), 334-349.
32. Jinadu, L. A. (2004). Explaining and managing ethnic conflict in Africa: Towards a cultural theory of democracy. Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization.
33. Johnson, R., & Nakamura, K. (2010). Comparative Legislative Systems: East and West. Global Academic Publishers.
34. Kernell, S. (2006). Going public: New strategies of presidential leadership. CQ Press.
35. Kreppel, A. (2011). Electoral Systems and Legislative Behavior. Democracy Journal, 7(3), 56-72.
36. Lee, F. E. (2009). Beyond ideology: Politics, principles, and partisanship in the U.S. Senate. The University of Chicago Press.
37. Lee, M. (2013). Accountability and Representation in Legislative Institutions. Political Review Quarterly, 10(2), 213-229.
38. Lessig, L. (2011). Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress—and a Plan to Stop It. Twelve.
39. Lijphart, A. (1999). Patterns of democracy: Government forms and performance in thirty-six countries. Yale University Press.
40. Linz, J. J., & Stepan, A. C. (1996). Problems of democratic transition and consolidation: Southern Europe, South America, and post-communist Europe. Johns Hopkins University Press.
41. Loader, B. D., & Mercea, D. (2011). Networking democracy? Social media innovations and participatory politics. Information, Communication & Society, 14(6), 757-769.
42. Manin, B. (1997). The principles of representative government. Cambridge University Press.
43. Martin, L. (2019). Digital Era Governance: Challenges and Opportunities. Tech & Society Journal, 14(1), 5-20.
44. Merton, R. K. (1968). Social theory and social structure. Free Press.
45. Ober, J. (2008). Democracy and knowledge: Innovation and learning in classical Athens. Princeton University Press.
46. O'Donnell, G., & Schmitter, P. C. (1986). Transitions from authoritarian rule: Tentative conclusions about uncertain democracies. Johns Hopkins University Press.
47. Ojo, E. O. (2006). Federalism and the search for national integration in Nigeria. African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 1(2), 028-038.
48. Ojo, E. O. (2007). Federalism and the search for national integration in Nigeria. African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 1(2), 047-062.
49. Ojo, E. O. (2009). Mechanisms of national integration in a multi-ethnic federal state: The Nigerian experience. Journal of Social Science, 20(3), 197-211.
50. Okafor, E. E., & Orinya, S. (2014). Challenges to effective oversight functions in Nigeria: A study of the 6th National Assembly. Public Policy and Administration Research, 4(10), 46-54.
51. Okeke, U. (2011). The Executive and the National Assembly in the Policy Process: A Case Study of Nigeria. Journal of African Governance and Development, 1(2).
52. Omotola, J. S. (2006). Political parties and the quest for political inclusion in Nigeria. Taiwan Journal of Democracy, 2(2), 125-145.
53. Omotola, J. S. (2009). Nigerian parties and political ideology. Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences, 1(3), 612-634.
54. Oreskes, N., & Conway, E. M. (2010). Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming. Bloomsbury Publishing.
55. Parsons, T. (1951). The social system. The Free Press.
56. Patterson, S. C., & Mughan, A. (2001). Fundamentals of institutional design: The functions and impact of legislators. Congressional Quarterly Press.
57. Peters, B. G., & Pierre, J. (2017). Governance, Politics, and the State. St. Martin’s Press.
58. Rossiter, C. (1961). The Federalist Papers: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay. New American Library.
59. Schmitter, P. C., & Karl, T. L. (1991). What democracy is... and is not. Journal of Democracy, 2(3), 75-88.
60. Smith, A. (2008). The Role of the Legislature in Democracy. Civic Studies, 4(4), 12-27.
61. Smith, D. A. (2019). Tax Crusaders and the Politics of Direct Democracy. Routledge.
62. Suberu, R. T. (2009). Federalism and ethnic conflict in Nigeria. US Institute of Peace Press.
63. Theriault, S. M. (2008). Party Polarization in Congress. Cambridge University Press.
64. Transparency International. (2022). Corruption Perceptions Index.
65. Ukiwo, U. (2011). From "pirates" to "militants": A historical perspective on anti-state and anti-oil company mobilization among the Ijaw of Warri, Western Niger Delta. African Affairs, 106(425), 587-610.
66. Zakaria, F. (1997). The rise of illiberal democracy. Foreign Affairs, 76, 22-43
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Published
2023-09-27
How to Cite
Odibo, A. (2023). Legislative Institutions and the Democratic Development: A Comparative Analysis of USA and Nigerian Democracies. Central Asian Journal of Social Sciences and History, 4(9), 202–221. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/V8MWQ
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