Grace Kibanja

A Gender Analysis of Bank Loan Negotiations in Uganda

This paper highlights the differences between men and women in bank loan negotiations. It presents findings of an ex post facto design study that involved administering questionnaires to 289 respondents who had ever applied for a loan from a Ugandan commercial bank from 1999 through 2005. Results showed that male and female respondents differed in their negotiation behavior and outcomes. Female respondents scored higher than male respondents on self-enhancement and yielding. Male respondents scored higher than female respondents on inaction. Results further showed that female respondents receive lower payoff than male respondents from bank loan negotiations, and that both male and female respondents encounter problems in mixed gender negotiations.

Ethnocultural Conflict in Uganda: Politics Based on Ethnic Divisions Inflame Tensions Across the Country

Kibanja, Kajumba, and Johnson describe the ethnocultural conflicts currently occurring in the various regions of Uganda whose population includes over 40 different ethnic groups. Broad reasons presented for these conflicts include competition for resources and positions of power which are traced back to colonial history when tribal divisions became more pronounced. The authors delineate the various conflicts for political power that have occurred since independence, and associated factors and consequences.

African Perspectives on Peaceful Social Protests

What will be the role of ordinary citizens in fostering changes needed for a peaceful and sustainable civil society in African countries? Civic participation and, in particular, social protest, as a means to effect pro-social and democratic change in African countries, promises to play an increasingly significant role. In this chapter, we discuss the context of social protests in Africa, present several case examples, and report views on peaceful protests expressed by 301 citizens from eight African countries. Qualitative data from surveys are presented along with percentages of responses in different categories to illustrate themes of engagement and agency. Our results revealed a very strong affirmation of the right to peaceful protest and a smaller majority of responses indicating personal agency in responding to police violence against peaceful protestors. Implications of these results and the need for research and action to advance social, economic, and democratic development are discussed, and recommendations are made for enhancing the role of citizens in advancing peace in the region.

African Perspectives on Invasion

Africa, the cradle of humankind, is the second largest continent with abundant diversity, richness, and beauty in its natural and anthropogenic landscape. Despite vast resources, humanity’s birthplace is characterized with human conflict and suffering, arguably making it one of the least hospitable places. According to a number of indicators Africa suffers from “a debilitating crisis of low human development” (Bangura and McCandless 2007; McCandless and Bangura 2007; United Nations Human Development Report (UNDP) 2010) and is the least peaceful continent in the world (Vision of Humanity, Global Peace Index (GPI) 2010). Its rates of abject poverty, hunger and malnutrition, illness and disease, low literacy, premature death and disability, and human rights concerns are among the highest in the world (UNDP 2010). Military invasions from outside the continent and from within have been ubiquitous.