Factors of socio-political (in)stability in West Africa

Вестник РГГУ. Серия «Политология. История. Международные отношения». 2024. No. 5. P. 12–34.

Shishkina A., Korotayev A.

Recently, West Africa is represented in the research literature as the epicenter of socio-political instability. That is most relevant for such countries asMali, Nigeria or Burkina Faso. However, it is worth saying that, despite a number of factors that could lead to potential destabilization in Ghana, the country has been characterized in recent years by a fairly high level of socio-political stabil- ity. The present study seeks to determine the factors causing political regime destabilization in West Africa by evaluating important governance indicators, sociopolitical stability, economic advancement, and historical occurrences. The paper uses a mixed-methods approach as well as qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) as an analysis tool. The authors conclude that among the destabilizing factors in the region under study, the following can be considered the most significant: weak mechanisms of accountability within the state, deficient gover- nance frameworks, and corruption. Moreover, if we are talking about Ghana, in that case such indicators as developed media infrastructure, active civil society, initiatives of the country’s leadership to create inter-religious tolerance and co- operation, as well as the general culture of peace inherent in Ghanaians, become the main factors stabilizing the situation in the country.

Keywords: коррупция, терроризм, corruption, terrorism, политическая стабильность, QCA (Qualitative Comparative Analysis), Ghana, Западная Африка, Гана, political stability, QCA, West Africa

Publication based on the results of: Global challenges to the development of the "Afrasian" macro-zone of instability in the context of Russia's national interests (2024)