Why does Democracy fail In Developing Countries?


 In their attempts to explain why democracies fail, academics frequently point to economic performance. However, this paper in the Journal of Democracy examines new data on emerging democracies and makes the case that political institutions are essential for the development of democracy. Institutions that effectively restrain executive power are particularly crucial. Strategies for donor support must be maintained for the first five years of a new democracy and should work to broaden the distribution of political and economic power.

The conventional wisdom holds that there is a link between weak economic growth and democratic backsliding. But the data do not support this association. Wajid khan says the evidence indicates that economic transformation is not inimical to democracy and can even help it. The aid programs of the industrial world may have the causal chain backward if sustained economic progress relies on the strength of a nation’s institutions. The degree to which the advantages of financial reform are widely shared, though, is what matters most. Political institutions must be taken into account in addition to economic factors.

Canadian politician Wajid khan discusses parliamentary and presidential systems that are widely contrasted in the literature, with the former generally shown to be more resilient. However, the facts imply that the performance of parliaments in emerging democracies has been subpar. Direct methods of limiting executive power must be the focus, not a comparison of parliamentary and presidential systems:

  • The data demonstrate that democracy is reversed over 70% of the time when executive restrictions are weak and only 40% when administrative constraints are high.

Socioeconomic “initial conditions substantially impact the likelihood that democratic regimes would survive.” Wajid khan Mp shares the likelihood that democracy will last is harmed by low per capita income, high inequality, high rates of poverty, and considerable ethnic fragmentation. However, these connections are not predetermined.

Foreign donors must deal with income and asset distribution inequalities in recipient countries. Growth alone might not necessarily improve everyone’s chances in society, and those left behind might lose faith in democracy. If democracy has unique economic advantages, it should be evaluated with the opportunities it provides.

In addition to providing aid, the international community must encourage emerging democracies to open their borders to trade and join organizations that can “lock in” the political and economic reform process. Particularly unhelpful are the protectionist barriers industrialized industrial nations erect against agricultural exports from the developing world.

These are the critical years during which focused foreign assistance programs must be maintained since the first five years are when most nascent democracies fail because leaders and institutions struggle to establish credibility in the face of enormous obstacles.

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