Doctoral Dissertation Research: Building the Rule of Law and Judicial Independence in Sub-Saharan Africa: the Cases of Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda

摘要：《博士论文研究：在撒哈拉以南非洲建立法治和司法独立：马拉维、坦桑尼亚和乌干达的案例》。SES--0617472本项目将解释和分析司法独立和主张成为可能的条件。虽然美国的司法学者已经得出了关于司法决策的重要见解，但到目前为止，这些理论还没有在撒哈拉以南非洲地区得到检验。此外，民主化学者压倒性地没有将与司法独立和决策有关的重要发现纳入他们的民主化理论。这项研究将通过对马拉维、乌干达和坦桑尼亚进行深入的纵向比较案例研究来解决这些不足。这项研究通过解决两个关键问题审查了这三个过渡民主国家的司法独立。1)法官是否根据当前和未来政治环境的威胁程度调整决策？2)竞争激烈的多党民主是司法独立的必要条件吗？这项研究将使用定性的方法，分析在实地和美国收集的数据。数据的主要来源将是从国家法律报告中挑选出来的法院案件。这将得到报纸和采访数据的补充。这项研究的假设是，独立和授权的司法机构是法治发展的核心。“良好治理”和“法治”这两个词已经成为政策参与者的必备词汇。从世界银行到美国国际开发署，国际行为者现在都明白，法治对第三世界的经济发展至关重要。它对于维护横向问责、保护人权、解决腐败问题至关重要，而且对于吸引外国直接投资也是至关重要的。然而，我们不能简单地告诉各国必须有‘法治’，我们必须了解法治运作和建立的方式和条件。这必须从对司法决策和独立性的批判性审查开始。这项研究的更广泛影响是，它将阐明司法独立对马拉维、坦桑尼亚和乌干达公民意味着什么，并反过来将启发美国司法学者了解西非司法独立的轮廓。这项研究还将向美国学者介绍法院等机构在非洲国家民主化进程中的作用。

Abstract"Doctoral Dissertation Research: Building the Rule of Law and Judicial Independence in Sub-Saharan Africa: the Cases of Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda." SES--0617472 This project will explain and analyze the conditions under which judicial independence and assertiveness are rendered possible. While important insights on judicial decision-making have been derived by judicial scholars in the U.S., to date, these theories have not been tested within sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, democratization scholars have overwhelmingly failed to incorporate important findings related to judicial independence and decision-making into their theories on democratization. This research will address these deficits through an in-depth, longitudinal comparative case study of Malawi, Uganda and Tanzania. The study examines judicial independence in these three transitional democracies by addressing two key questions. 1) Do judges adjust their decision-making according to the perceived threat level of current and future political environments? 2) Is a competitive multiparty democracy a necessary condition for judicial independence? The study will be conducted using qualitative methods, analyzing data collected both in the field and in the U.S. The primary source of data will be court cases selected from national law reports. This will be supplemented by newspaper and interview data. It is the assumption of this study, that an independent and empowered judiciary is central to the development of the rule of law. The terms 'good governance' and 'rule of law' have become de rigueur amongst policy actors. From the World Bank to USAID, international actors now understand that the rule of law is critical to economic development in the third world. It is essential to the maintenance of horizontal accountability, protecting human rights, addressing corruption and is fundamental in order to attract foreign direct investment. However, one cannot simply tell countries that the 'rule of law' must be present, we have to understand the ways and conditions under which the rule of law functions and is created. This must begin with a critical examination of judicial decision-making and independence.The broader impact of this research is that it will shed light on what judicial independence means to citizens of Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda, and will in turn enlighten U.S. judicial scholars about the contours of judicial independence in West Africa. The study will also inform U.S. scholars about the role of institutions, such as courts, democratization in African countries.