ABSTRACT
Research on political change in Africa suggests that it has powerful domestic sources. This chapter provides a historical background of the main EU-Africa agreements and funding instruments, seeking to locate the points of departure in terms of human rights and democracy promotion policies. It presents overview of key indicators of democracy and human rights covering most of the period between 1973 and 2017. Research on democratisation has produced interesting findings on the global drivers of democracy. In Africa, three main lines of inquiry can be identified. A first stream argues about the relevance of structural factors, for example, colonialism, ethnicity and modernisation, for the likelihood of democracy. A second stream focuses on the role of political institutions. A third stream considers international determinants, particularly how the diffusion of democratic ideas, pressure from international financial institutions and membership in intergovernmental organisations (IGOs) affect democratisation.
