TY - JOUR
T1 - Comparing British and American conservatisms through the prism of African development
AU - Andreasson, Stefan
PY - 2017/10/17
Y1 - 2017/10/17
N2 - Conservatism and conservative party politics in Britain and America is associated with neocolonial
attitudes, including pursuit of national interests ahead of post-colonial development. Based
on interviews conducted in Washington and London with actors involved with African
development, this article examines comparative shifts in conservatives’ engagements from the late
Cold War era to the G. W. Bush and Cameron governments. Greater ideological heterogeneity and
distinctiveness among American conservative interests groups, combined with a bureaucratic
environment in the US allowing more direct channels for ideological input into policy, results in a
more clearly conservative stamp on Africa policy in the US than in Britain where ideological lines
on development have become more blurred since the 1997 New Labour election victory and
creation of the Department for International Development.Conservatism and conservative party politics in Britain and America is associated with neocolonial
attitudes, including pursuit of national interests ahead of post-colonial development. Based
on interviews conducted in Washington and London with actors involved with African
development, this article examines comparative shifts in conservatives’ engagements from the late
Cold War era to the G. W. Bush and Cameron governments. Greater ideological heterogeneity and
distinctiveness among American conservative interests groups, combined with a bureaucratic
environment in the US allowing more direct channels for ideological input into policy, results in a
more clearly conservative stamp on Africa policy in the US than in Britain where ideological lines
on development have become more blurred since the 1997 New Labour election victory and
creation of the Department for International Development.
AB - Conservatism and conservative party politics in Britain and America is associated with neocolonial
attitudes, including pursuit of national interests ahead of post-colonial development. Based
on interviews conducted in Washington and London with actors involved with African
development, this article examines comparative shifts in conservatives’ engagements from the late
Cold War era to the G. W. Bush and Cameron governments. Greater ideological heterogeneity and
distinctiveness among American conservative interests groups, combined with a bureaucratic
environment in the US allowing more direct channels for ideological input into policy, results in a
more clearly conservative stamp on Africa policy in the US than in Britain where ideological lines
on development have become more blurred since the 1997 New Labour election victory and
creation of the Department for International Development.Conservatism and conservative party politics in Britain and America is associated with neocolonial
attitudes, including pursuit of national interests ahead of post-colonial development. Based
on interviews conducted in Washington and London with actors involved with African
development, this article examines comparative shifts in conservatives’ engagements from the late
Cold War era to the G. W. Bush and Cameron governments. Greater ideological heterogeneity and
distinctiveness among American conservative interests groups, combined with a bureaucratic
environment in the US allowing more direct channels for ideological input into policy, results in a
more clearly conservative stamp on Africa policy in the US than in Britain where ideological lines
on development have become more blurred since the 1997 New Labour election victory and
creation of the Department for International Development.
U2 - 10.1080/14662043.2017.1300845
DO - 10.1080/14662043.2017.1300845
M3 - Article
VL - 55
SP - 471
EP - 488
JO - Commonwealth & Comparative Politics
JF - Commonwealth & Comparative Politics
SN - 1466-2043
IS - 4
ER -
