The Fate of Young Democracies

by Ethan B. Kapstein , Nathan Converse

• ISBN13: 9780521494236
• ISBN10: 0521494230
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-09-29
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The recent backlash against democracy in such countries as Bolivia, Venezuela, Russia, and Georgia poses renewed concerns about the viability of this regime type in the developing world. Drawing on a unique data set of every democratization episode since 1960, this book explores the underlying reasons for backsliding and reversal in the world's fledgling democracies and offers some proposals with respect to what the international community might do to help these states stay on track toward political stability. Rejecting earlier scholarship on this topic, which focused on poor economic performance as the leading cause of democratic reversal, Kapstein and Converse argue that the core of the problem is found in the weak institutions that have been built in much of the developing world, which encourage leaders to abuse their power. Understanding the underlying reasons for democratic failure is essential if we are to offer policy recommendations that have any hope of making a difference on the ground.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	p. ix
Preface and Acknowledgments	p. xiii
What Makes Young Democracies Different?	p. 1
Voters, Elections, and Economic Policy	p. 7
Political Parties and Economic Policy	p. 20
Democratic Institutions and Economic Policy	p. 26
Does Age Matter?	p. 32
Conclusions	p. 36
Why Do Young Democracies Fail?	p. 37
Democratic Survival and Reversal	p. 39
Descriptive Statistics	p. 46
Regression Analysis	p. 57
Conclusions	p. 68
Are Some Regions More Democracy Friendly?	p. 71
The Economics of Young Democracies: A Regional Perspective	p. 73
Latin America: The Political Economy of Populism	p. 75
Eastern Europe: Democratizing During Hard Times	p. 84
Africa: On the Road to Sustainable Development?	p. 91
Asia: Democratization in the Shadow of Authoritarian Success	p. 100
Conclusions	p. 115
Is Democracy Promotion Effective?	p. 119
Does Foreign Aid Promote Democracy?	p. 122
Promoting Democracy and Development: The Millennium Challenge Corporation	p. 127
Beyond the MCC	p. 134
Conclusions and Policy Recommendations	p. 141
Lessons for Policy-Makers	p. 143
Directions for Future Research	p. 147
Concluding Thoughts	p. 154
Methodology	p. 157
List of Young Democracies	p. 163
References	p. 167
Index	p. 179
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.