Kyed, Helene Maria, and Lars Buur."Introduction: Traditional authority and democratization in Africa." In State Recognition and Democratization in Sub-Saharan Africa, pp. 1-28. Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2007.

The authors explore the factors accounting for the convergence between formal recognition of traditional authority and democratization in Africa. The authors argue that the current ambiguous nature of the relationship between traditional leaders and postcolonial states can be traced to the nature of colonial systems of governance (direct and indirect rule) which incorporated traditional leaders as an extension of colonial regimes to enable them extract human and natural resources. The authors also argue that the renewed interest in traditional authority arose from the 1990s. They attribute this to tradition’s contact with modernization. Subsequently the institution has also found new ways of asserting their relevance by carrying out some state functions within the local political settings, such as dispensing informal justice and community policing to mention a few. This can be viewed as competition with the modern state whilst others view their role as complementing the state at places out of its reach. The authors conclude that traditional authority remains the main expression of indigenous cultural, social and political expressions for many African societies, Therefore, there is the need for the modern state to recognize and incorporate them in order to gain control of its citizenry as this can provide stability and improve governance and development most especially with respect to decentralizing its policies.

Honig, Lauren. "Traditional Leaders and Development in Africa." In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. 2019.

Traditional leaders have a significant role in the social, political, and economic lives of citizens in countries throughout Africa. They are defined as local elites who derive legitimacy from custom, tradition, and spirituality. While their claims to authority are local, traditional leaders, or "chiefs," are also integrated into the modern state in a variety of ways. The position of traditional leaders between state and local communities allows them to function as development intermediaries. They do so by influencing the distribution of national public goods and the presentation of citizen demands to the state. Further, traditional leaders can impact development by coordinating local collective action, adjudicating conflicts, and overseeing land rights. In the role of development intermediaries, traditional leaders shape who benefits from different types of development outcomes within the local and national community. Identifying the positive and negative developmental impacts of traditional leaders requires attention to the different implications of their roles as lobbyists, local governments, political patrons, and land authorities.

[Source: chapter abstract]

Chiweza, Asiyati Lorraine. "The Ambivalent Role of Chiefs: Rural Decentralization Initiatives in Malawi." In State Recognition and Democratization in Sub-Saharan Africa, pp. 53-78. Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2007.

Chiweza argues that democratic decentralization initiatives in Malawi have rather sought to reduce the role and influence of the chiefs in favor of locally elected local government councilors. Yet this has not succeeded in eroding chieftaincy as chiefs still have increased roles and influence in the rural areas. This makes the position of the local councilors a loose one. Because the chiefs act both as intermediaries and gatekeepers to the rural community, they have gained increased recognition as key development actors at the local level. As a result, donor agencies  and NGOS who wish to carry out activities within such communities require the chiefs’ authority and support for their programs. Chiweza concludes that the position of the chiefs and their constant engagement and interaction with locals makes them more visible as compared to the local councilors.

Buur, Lars, and Helene Maria Kyed. “Traditional authority in Mozambique: the legible space between state and community.” In State Recognition and Democratization in Sub-Saharan Africa, pp. 105-127. Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2007.

In this book chapter, the authors explore state recognition of traditional authority in Mozambique in general and discusses in particular how legislation was implemented in the former rural war zones and opposition strongholds. The authors argue that government recognition of traditional authority emerged from the political concern of decentralization. Thus, the Decree 15 of 2000 provided the opportunity for traditional authority to be inserted into local governance. They explain that the decree was the state’s way of formally recognizing representatives of local community as quasi-state functionaries. They indicate that  community leaders should be recognized as traditional leaders who are to be consulted on behalf of the communities they represent.

Abbink,Jan. “The Elusive Chief: Authority and Leadership in Surma Society, (Ethiopia)”.In Rouveroy Van Nieuwaal, Emile Adriaan Benvenuto Van, And Rijk Van Dijk, African Chieftaincy in A New Socio-Political Landscape. (1999).

Abbink examines the aspects of changes in patterns of local leadership in 20th Century Ethiopia and argues that there is a growing interest in chiefs as they are perceived to be a medium of social and political change in many African societies. This change according to Abbink is problematic and contradictory because of a shift towards democratization and breakdown of central state power which is followed by change in autocratic elite rule. Abbink argues that within these two processes, there has always been the resurgence of local traditions of chieftaincy in varied forms. In southern Ethiopia, the local administration is an alliance of two types of elders - highland rulers and indigenous chiefs or ritual leaders who represent the ethnic communities. These local leaders have always been the carriers of real local authority. Once Haile Selassie introduced reforms for regional and local administration, the appointed chiefs (highland rulers) became government liaison men, who were conduits of government policies and schemes that were deemed unpopular. They did not have authority over the local populace but had more leverage among Haile Selassie’s administration. The Surma area was deemed both culturally and geographical remote and had limited economic value. These characteristics enabled them to be elusive and do away with state intrusions.

Logan, Carolyn. "Selected Chiefs, Elected Councilors and Hybrid Democrats: Popular Perspectives On The Co-Existence Of Democracy And Traditional Authority." The Journal of Modern African Studies 47, no.1 (2009): 101-128.

The paper sparks a debate about the proper role of African traditional leaders in contemporary politics in Africa. Logan questions if traditional authority and democratic governance are compatible or they contradict each other. She concludes that Africans appear to have adapted to the hybridization of political institutions as the debate points to traditional institutions as outmoded whilst state institutions are seen as modern and democratic.