A Review of Carbone & Cassani’s (2023) Africa’s Lame Ducks: Second-Term Presidents and the Rule of Law

Abstract This paper reviews Carbone and Cassani’s assessment of second-term presidents and the rule of law, which evaluates presidential performance in second terms compared to first terms. It acknowledges the authors’ argument that the absence of electoral pressures, volatile political environments, and the desire to build legacies can contribute to improved presidential performance during second terms in Africa. While the original study challenges the commonly emphasized ‘lame-duck’ narrative in second-term scholarship, this review underscores the need to contextualize these findings within Africa’s diverse democratic landscapes. It argues that the factors identified by the authors as drivers of improved performance are significantly shaped by the strength and nature of political institutions, electoral turnover dynamics, and the individual motivations of presidents.