Democracy In Developing Countries

​Despite the large amounts of human and financial resources invested to foster democratic governance in developing countries, statistics show that the majority of these countries have not yet achieved significant improvements in living standards. While some regions make strides towards improving the living conditions of their citizens, Sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, is still trapped in poverty with more than 40% of its 600 million people living below the internationally recognized absolute poverty line of one US dollar per day. Poor governance and corruption should be highlighted as the most important systemic factors contributing to poverty in developing countries. As a result the institutional foundations of these countries are weakened, public funds are misappropriated, and policies and programs aimed at reducing poverty and fostering sustainable economic growth are undermined. It is therefore not surprising that a 2008 Transparency International report found a direct link between corruption and the failure of the societal institutions designed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in the majority of developing countries. This book investigates the problems of democratic governance, particularly as they relate to corruption, and also whether democracy should be based on universal principles or local context and historical factors. It also analyses the rule of law, in promoting democratic governance and curbing corruption and if governmental, non-governmental organizations, and civil societies are effective in promoting democratic governance and curbing corruption. This book will go beyond identifying the challenges and offer plausible solutions that could be adapted to various developing countries. It is premised on the importance of bridging theory and practice, which has been lacking in most local and international development publications, making of interest to scholars and policy-makers alike concerned with public administration in developing countries.​

Since the 1970s, developing countries have experienced two notable trends: the rise of new democratic regimes and the rush to free trade. These joint trends have led some to argue that democracy and free-trade go hand in hand in the developing world, each supporting the other. Mukherjee argues that trade politics in developing countries resists such easy categorization. Instead, his book offers an innovative theoretical framework identifying the specific economic conditions and democratic institutions that influence trade policy in developing countries. He focuses particularly on the changing domestic political interactions among parties, party leaders, and labor and capital in developing nations. He draws upon large time-series datasets as well as cross-national survey data analysis to test hypotheses. Then, looking more closely at Brazil, India, Indonesia, and South Africa, he also provides comparative case-study evidence, such as within-country data on trade barriers and campaign contributions. The most comprehensive treatment of the subject to date, "Democracy and Trade Policy in Developing Countries" will be essential reading for scholars and policymakers alike, not only for the understanding it provides for trading strategies now, but for what it reveals about the prospects for international economic cooperation in the future.

Examines the prospects for democratization in the developing world. The book draws upon ideas of widespread socioeconomic well-being, human rights, the distribution of resources and population, and the environment.

This text presents case studies of experiences with democracy in Asia, Affrica, Latin America and the Middle East, along with the editor's synthesis of the factors that facilitate and obstruct the development of democracy around the world. This second edition includes a chapter on South Africa.

Until the late 1980s, there were very few democratically elected governments in the developing world. These areas were characterized by a range of authoritarian regimes from military administrations to one-party dictatorships. Over the past decade, however, the situation has altered significantly and an increasing number of developing countries have made the transition to democracy. For some, this process of building and consolidating democracy has been relatively easy, while for others, it has proved more complex and harder to sustain. In this important new textbook, Jeff Haynes seeks to explain why these differences occur. Adopting a broadly comparative approach, he begins by examining the theories and practice of democratic transition and consolidation in the new democracies of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Haynes argues persuasively that a country's ability to consolidate democracy depends not only on the interaction of structural and agency factors, but also on a variety of specific domestic and international concerns which may help or hinder democratic progress. Using a wide range of case studies to illustrate his argument, Haynes provides an accessible and comprehensive analysis of the processes and problems of democratic consolidation in developing nations. This is an important textbook that will be invaluable to students in a variety of areas from politics and comparative politics to development studies and history.

Beginning by looking at the concept of democracy in its various forms and the literature thereof, the text then looks at the Third World specifically, examining the impact of colonial rule, the eclipse of democracy in the years after independence and the prospects for the future.