An Annotated Bibliography
Spencer, Sylvanus N. “The Use of Pop Songs by Sierra Leonean Youths in Enjoying the Space Created for Freedom of Expression after the Civil War.”Africa Today 59.1 (2012): 71-86.
This article discusses the impact of freedom of expression obtained from Sierra Leone reforms in systems of governance. This has specifically allowed urban youth who earlier lacked chances to make their own contributions on matters of governance to seize the opportunity to air their views using pop songs. They can now rally against vices such as ethnicity, corruption, poor governance as well as other injustices. However, some issues that have arisen from this freedom of expression are also explained, for instance, irresponsible exercise on one’s freedom without considering others’ rights or the country’s stability and unwillingness by politicians to ensure this freedom is continuously enjoyed and without any manipulation. This source is important for this research topic since it demonstrates the importance of freedom and can assist in developing research questions like whether there are negative impacts arising from freedom.
Harrington, Jesse R., Pawel Boski, and Michele J. Gelfand. “Culture and National Well-Being: Should Societies Emphasize Freedom or Constraint?.”PloS one 10.6 (2015): e0127173.
This is a research article evaluating the best way a society should be organized by either allowing personal freedom or constraint to prevail in the society. Proponents in the research have proposed advantages of one over another but with a sample of 32 nations, the article concludes that there is a curvilinear connection between liberty and restriction such that ensuring a moderation of the two brings about a better societal well-being. The article observes that failure to have moderation results to negative outcomes including; psychological, like lesser happiness; poorer health like lower life expectancy; poor economical and political outcomes like lower gross domestic product and of higher risk of political instability. The article supports that there should be an equilibrium between autonomy and restrictions to obtain better outcomes in a nation. The article is relevant in the research topic because it provides a wider view of the impact freedom can have. It is also useful in answering some questions in the research such as how much freedom is ideal in a society.