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Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Political Science Dissertations Department of Political Science 4-24-2007 Empowering the Poor? Civic Education and Local Level Participation in Rural Tanzania and Zambia Satu Riutta Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/political_science_diss Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Riutta, Satu, "Empowering the Poor? Civic Education and Local Level Participation in Rural Tanzania and Zambia." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2007. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/political_science_diss/3 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Political Science at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Political Science Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EMPOWERING THE POOR? CIVIC EDUCATION AND LOCAL LEVEL PARTICIPATION IN RURAL TANZANIA AND ZAMBIA by SATU RIUTTA Under the Direction of William M. Downs ABSTRACT This study examines the effects of civic education (CE) on local level participation among the rural poor. There is little extant knowledge of civic education’s effects among this group, although it represents the majority of citizens in many developing countries. It is important to understand what kinds of effects this little researched tool of democracy promotion has so as to know whether investments in it are worthwhile. Does raising awareness about rights increase citizens’ democratic participation—whether at village meetings, community groups, or in contacting their local representative? Are effects greater on collective or individualized participation? Who benefits the most? Are effects mediated by civic awareness and/or democratic attitudes (efficacy, political interest, and trust in politicians), or are there (also) direct effects on participation? Having gathered novel data of rural masses’ democratic dispositions, the study will be useful for practitioners needing information about the level of civic awareness among this group, and about how civic education may be used to promote this group’s inclusion and empowerment as democratic participants in society. Data consist of semi-structured oral interviews of 280 adult citizens in five villages and one rural town in peripheral areas in Tanzania and Zambia during election year. The study corroborates CE’s positive effects on knowledge—particularly of “first generation” rights and responsibilities—political interest, and some forms of participation. Most affected are contacts with the local elected representative (Ward Councilor) and involvement in community groups—both important for building a democratic (civil) society. Both cognitive and behavioral effects are greatest among women--a reason for optimism for those desiring to enhance women’s public role. Practitioners could thus use civic education to promote communication between citizens and elected representatives and people’s involvement in associations. They could utilize the radio—the most relied upon mass medium in these contexts--and target community leaders, the most sought-after individuals in community related problems. Civic educators should also seek ways to strengthen efficacy and interpersonal trust which were found to significantly promote aggregate participation, with the latter also increasing active involvement at community meetings—likely the first venue of participation for most rural citizens. INDEX WORDS: Civic education, Participation, Local level, Rural, Rights, Tanzania, Zambia, Democracy, Democratization, Aid EMPOWERING THE POOR? CIVIC EDUCATION AND LOCAL LEVEL PARTICIPATION IN RURAL TANZANIA AND ZAMBIA by SATU RIUTTA A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University 2007 Copyright by Satu Riutta 2007 by SATU RIUTTA Major Professor: William Downs Committee: Michael Herb Carrie Manning Electronic Version Approved: Office of Graduate Studies College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University May 2007 iv DEDICATION This study is dedicated to Zhulea Mohamed of Mbae Village and the future generations of Africans whom she represents. This Tanzanian girl who at the time of field research was 10 years old came to sit next to our chairs every day, always smiling and eagerly observing every interview. One day she pointed to a water bottle less than half full, and was very happy when it was given to her. It is hoped that the “bottle” will one day be full for all Africans and people everywhere who live in poverty, and that this study will in a small way contribute toward a better future for them. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research would not have been possible without the professional training, opportunities, and financial and personal support given to me by the Department of Political Science at Georgia State University, and GSU as a whole. I have been privileged to learn from an outstanding faculty. More than anybody else, thanks go to Dr. William Downs, the Chair of the Department and my dissertation committee. Words cannot describe how significant his role has been in my intellectual development. Under his mentorship I have learnt to do research, write (in English), and think scientifically. He has guided and challenged me throughout my seven years at GSU. I especially want to thank him for believing in me, and for never saying no to my frequent requests for recommendation letters. I never envisioned doing a PhD until he made it seem natural and within my reach. He has been and is my role model as a teacher and a scholar, and I very much admire his attitude toward work and other people, as well as his organizational skills. Thank you for all your time and continual support! Dr. Michael Herb and Dr. Carrie Manning have been two other excellent members of my dissertation committee. I have learnt much from both about democratization and African politics. I am very grateful to them for their flexibility and willingness to adapt to a very tight timetable in completing this research, especially with Dr. Herb spending spring 2007 in Kuwait which meant that he had to read the dissertation chapters on his computer screen. Also, I am grateful to Dr. Manning for her understanding of the demands of this research when assigning my graduate assistantship vi duties for summer and fall 2006. I could not have hoped for a better-rounded and expert committee with which it has been easy and a pleasure to work. Other persons in the Political Science Department whom I would like to thank are Dr. Allison Calhoun-Brown—for her assistance and especially understanding and support when I was going through tough times personally—Essie Lattimore for all her practical help, and the late Jean Byrd. Ms. Byrd’s prompt provision of official statements and assistance with library access especially during the exploratory stages of my research in Brussels was invaluable. She was also very resourceful throughout my stay at GSU, and I will miss her. GSU also facilitated some important connections for my first field research country, Tanzania. A good friend Elsa Gebremedhin at Andrew Young School of Policy Studies has been a key person in this regard. For example, she introduced me to Generosa Kakoti of GSU, who put me in touch with Dr. Jamie Boex at GSU’s Department of Economics, who actively conducts research in Tanzania and provided timely practical advice and further contacts. In particular, Dr. Boex introduced me to Barak Hoffman (then at UCSD) whose insights about research permits, housing, culture, and the logistics on doing research in Tanzania were very useful—as well as Paul Kagundu of GSU who also conducted his field research in Tanzania, and provided me with census data. Dr. Hoffman, in turn, introduced me to Twisa Mwambona of Dar es Salaam who kindly picked me up from the airport, answered the dozens of questions I had, and was a consistent source of support and transportation throughout my stay in the country. I am grateful to all these individuals for facilitating my access to Tanzania and helping me understand the research context. vii The final part of the extensive support network at GSU with which I have been blessed is a group of my fellow students who have been amazing. Although all students throughout the years have been wonderful and supportive, I want to specifically mention those without whom my graduation date would not have been spring 2007. By coming to my rescue when time was of the essence, Nadia Shapkina made it possible that data from the questionnaires were entered into SPSS by the time I needed to begin analysis. She also stimulated my thoughts about the research topic with her informed ideas and challenging questions and comments, and offered to read through the text. Kathie Barrett took off part of the teaching load by substituting for me for two days when I could not make it, while she further emphasized that I should let her know if there was anything else she could do. Daniel Fikreyesus, Bala Erramilli, and Saori Yasumoto also helped me save time during the important last semester by appearing as guest speakers in my class. Deborah Cotton and Cole Taratoot kindly helped with final formatting. Also Josephine Dawuni played a vital role—through her words of encouragement and prayers—and Susanna Perko’s support and excitement during the day of the defense was “the dot on the ‘i’,” as we say in Finland. And finally, beyond my last semester at GSU, there have been a few colleagues who—having completed comprehensive exams and the dissertation process before me—gave me indispensable guidance: Heather Heckel, Eleanor Morris, and Chenaz Seelarbokus. I am very grateful for each one of you. Also, due to the extensive travel and other costs in this project, none of the research documented here would have been possible without the generous funds provided by a number of sponsors. I was happy to learn that Finnish foundations so readily support research done by Finns at foreign universities.

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