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.
Staffan I. Lindberg is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and the Center for African Studies at University of Florida. His work on elections received the American Political Science Association's Juan Linz Award for Best Dissertation in 2004 and won the Annual Best Graduate Paper Prize of the African Studies Association in 2003.
Table of Contents
List of Tables and Figures Preface 1. Introduction The Role of Elections Why Africa? On Regimes On Elections and Democracy Preindependence and Postindependence Elections in African Nations Contemporary Africa's Track Record Outline of the Book 2. On Democracy and Elections Making a Conceptual Choice Defining Democracy Operationalizing Democratic Qualities of Elections Data Collection and Processing 3. Elections in Africa over Time Frequency and Number of Elections The Democratic Qualities, on Average Democratic Qualities of Elections over Time Conclusions 4. The Self-Reinforcing Power of Elections Going from Bad to Worse First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Later Elections A Panel-Group Comparison Conclusions 5. The Causal Effects of Elections Democratic Qualities in Society A Missing Factor of Democratization Hypotheses and Causal Links 6. Democratization by Elections? Elections Are Associated with Civil Liberties Analyzing by Countries Conclusions 7. Comparative Perspectives and Reflections The Transition Paradigm Corruption and Democratization Stateness and Social Citizenship Lessons on Consolidation Policy Implications The Power of Elections in Unfavorable Conditions Appendix 1: Overview of Elections in Africa, by Year Appendix 2: Changes in Civil Liberties Rankings Appendix 3: About the Freedom House Civil Liberties Index Appendix 4: A Data Set on Elections in Africa Notes References Index
There is a dearth of publications on democratization in Africa, but here is a book that is presented on the basis of solid empirical data and carries a surprisingly positive message. Lindberg meticulously codes all the information on African elections and democratization and makes it available to the scholarly community. This first-rate book is complete in theoretical respects and demonstrates Lindberg's great versatility in handling large amounts of data.
— Goran Hyden, University of Florida, Gainesville
From the Publisher
There is a dearth of publications on democratization in Africa, but here is a book that is presented on the basis of solid empirical data and carries a surprisingly positive message. Lindberg meticulously codes all the information on African elections and democratization and makes it available to the scholarly community. This first-rate book is complete in theoretical respects and demonstrates Lindberg's great versatility in handling large amounts of data.—Goran Hyden, University of Florida, Gainesville
