Democracy and Elections in Africa
eBook - ePub

Democracy and Elections in Africa

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Democracy and Elections in Africa

About this book

Outstanding Academic Title for 2007, Choice Magazine

This volume studies elections as a core institution of liberal democracy in the context of newly democratizing countries. Political scientist Staffan I. Lindberg gathers data from every nationally contested election in Africa from 1989 to 2003, covering 232 elections in 44 countries. He argues that democratizing nations learn to become democratic through repeated democratic behavior, even if their elections are often flawed.

Refuting a number of established hypotheses, Lindberg finds no general negative trend in either the frequency or the quality of African elections. Rather, elections in Africa, based on his findings, are more than just the goal of a transition toward democracy or merely a formal procedure. The inception of multiparty elections usually initiates liberalization, and repeated electoral activities create incentives for political actors, fostering the expansion and deepening of democratic values. In addition to improving the democratic qualities of political regimes, a sequence of elections tends to expand and solidify de facto civil liberties in society.

Drawing on a wealth of data, Lindberg makes the case that repetitive elections are an important causal factor in the development of democracy. He thus extends Rustow's (1970) theory that democratic behavior produces democratic values.

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Yes, you can access Democracy and Elections in Africa by Staffan I. Lindberg in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & African Politics. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. List of Tables and Figures
  7. Preface
  8. 1 Introduction
  9. 2 On Democracy and Elections
  10. 3 Elections in Africa over Time
  11. 4 The Self-Reinforcing Power of Elections
  12. 5 The Causal Effects of Elections
  13. 6 Democratization by Elections?
  14. 7 Comparative Perspectives and Reflections
  15. Appendix 1. Annual Overview of Elections in Africa, 1989–2003
  16. Appendix 2. Changes in Civil Liberties Rankings
  17. Appendix 3. About the Freedom House Civil Liberties Index
  18. Appendix 4. A Data Set on Elections in Africa
  19. Notes
  20. References
  21. Index