Springer Citizenship, Democracies, and Media Engagement among Emerging Economies and Marginalized Communities

This volume analyzes the contexts in which emerging economies in Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America, the Middle East, and Asia can chart their socioeconomic futures through progressive democratic practices and media engagement. Using political and development communication, along with case studies from selected countries in these regions, the volume addresses human rights policies, diplomatic practices, democratization, good governance, identity politics, terrorism, collective action, gendered crimes, political psychology, and citizen journalism as paradigms for sustainable growth. Through practical experiences and field research in the selected countries, scholars show how personal and national freedoms as well as business deals have been negotiated in a bid to create a new socioeconomic culture within the nations. Review “The contributors discuss, with data backing, why proper management of information in the era of big data and social media is essential in promoting economic development and citizen health and in advancing social cohesion and democracy while rooting out corruption in poor and marginalized communities across the world. This book is recommended reading for media managers, social accountability, and health advocacy professionals. The biggest beneficiaries, in my view, are the students of media studies, health promotion and advocacy, and political science.” (Levi Zeleza Manda, Editor of Journal of Development and Communication Studies) “This collection of essays attempts to unravel our complex postmodern existence by using the constitutive discipline of communication scholarship to explicate the troubled nexus between the important concepts of citizenship, democracy and the media in a developmental setting.” (Muiru Ngugi, Senior Lecturer, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Nairobi, Kenya) “…democracy has been accepted as the ideal mode of governance, even in far-flung societies. The issue now goes beyond how democracy has fared; it is how to make democracy work. What model is best in various societies? This question requires a dispassionate review of the status quo, and this volume offers just that. It is a collection of case studies from across the continents―a much-needed documentation of experiences as East meets West, and tribal societies are embraced for what they are. The book is a bold engagement with the present, an unpretentious review of the precolonial antecedents, and a brave contemplation of the future. Readers should be provoked to rethink concepts of citizenship, participation, locations, and custodians of power within media and society.” (Oluyinka Esan, School of Media and Film, University of Winchester, UK) From the Back Cover This volume analyzes the contexts in which emerging economies in Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America, the Middle East, and Asia can chart their socioeconomic futures through progressive democratic practices and media engagement. Using political and development communication, along with case studies from selected countries in these regions, the volume addresses human rights policies, diplomatic practices, democratization, good governance, identity politics, terrorism, collective action, gendered crimes, political psychology, and citizen journalism as paradigms for sustainable growth. Through practical experiences and field research in the selected countries, scholars show how personal and national freedoms as well as business deals have been negotiated in a bid to create a new socioeconomic culture within the nations. About the Author Emmanuel K. Ngwainmbi is an independent communication and advocacy expert. He has previously lectured at Elizabeth City State University, George Washington University, and University of North Carolina at Charlotte, among other institutions of higher education in the US, Asia, and Africa. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of th