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Leaders, leadership, and democratization in West Africa: Observations from the cotton farmers movement in Mali

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Abstract

It is widely accepted that the success of rural nongovernmental organizations depends heavily on leadership and the organizational abilities of individual leaders. Drawing on the recent history of the cotton farmers' movement in Mali, this article identifies critical issues related to the development and sustainability of rural leadership. Special attention is given to how both heroic and post-heroic approaches to leadership might be joined in order to help nongovernmental organizations contribute to both political democratization and economic development.

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Authors
  1. R. James Bingen
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R. James Bingen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Resource Development at Michigan State University. He has been working for over two years with the Mali Union of Cotton and Food Crop Producers on their involvement in agricultural policy making and research.

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Bingen, R.J. Leaders, leadership, and democratization in West Africa: Observations from the cotton farmers movement in Mali. Agric Hum Values 13, 24–32 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01540691

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