INSEAD Library

Includes index

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 dataset of every democratization episode since 1960, this book explores the underlying reasons for backsliding and reversal in the world’s fledgling democracies, offering 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.

Digitized

The fate of Young Democracies The fate of Young Democracies List of Figures and Tables page ix Xlll Preface and Acknowledgments ... 1. What Makes Young.Demgcracies Different? Voters, Elections. and Economic Policy Political Parties and Economic Policy Democratic Institutions and Economic Policy Does Age Matter? Conclusions 2. Why Do Young Democracies Fail? Democratic Survival and Reversal Descriptive Statistics Regression Analysis Conclusions 3. Are Some Regions More Democracy Friendly? The Economics of Young Democracies: A Regional Perspective Latin America: The Political Economy of Populism Eastern Europe: Democratizing During Hard Times Africa: On the Road to Sustainable Development? Asia: Democratization in the Shadow of Authoritarian Success Conclusions 4. Is Democracy Promotion Effective? Does Foreign Aid Promote Democracy? Promoting Democracy and Developn~ent: The Millennium Challenge Corporation Beyond the MCC 5. Conclusions and Policy Recommendations Lessons for Policy-Makers Directions for Future Research Concluding Thoughts Appendix I . Methodology Appendix 2. List of Young Democracies References Index