Browse by title

This Chapter analyses some of the core linkages between democracy and development, including whether development is a pre-requisite for democracy and whether regime type matters for development. It finds that, while economic development per se is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for the emergence of democracy, development, and in particular how prosperity is shared across the population and whether development can deliver on citizen expectations and priorities, has a considerable impact on the quality and resilience of democracy. The Chapter also argues that existing literature seeking to establish a causal relationship between regime type and developmental performance remains inconclusive, and the debate is far from settled. By way of conclusion, the chapter posits that, given that most countries in the world today are considered formal democracies, the relevant question and ensuing challenge may no longer be whether democracies or authoritarian systems are better suited to promote development, but rather how democracy can deliver on development needs and expectations more effectively.

Democratic reforms are one of the many areas where intense debates occur to provide explanations for different waves of democratization. Regime changes are messy processes, influenced by geographical proximity, communication between social movements and democracy promotion (Elkink, 2011). This Handbook about the transfer of policies shows how complex the causal mechanisms triggering policy reforms are (as discussed in the chapter written by Kuhlmann). International players can add to their portfolio some special political institutions for democracy promotion which can facilitate the transfer to other jurisdictions as there is no single model of democracy. Despite having a common interest at their core (sharing power beyond elite rule), there are largely distinct conversations structured around specific practices such as parliamentary strengthening programmes, direct democracy mechanisms and other types of instruments allowing citizen engagement. But can democratic institutions be exported? Or is it merely the transfer of bureaucratic rules related to ‘good governance’?

The chapter analyses the relationship between democracy and inequalities among groups (horizontal inequalities (HIs)). Democracies are more likely to be associated with lower HIs than non-democracies, because high inequalities may lead to resistance by deprived groups and democratic breakdown, and democracies are more likely to adopt policies which reduce HIs. Statistical evidence across countries supports this view. The relationship depends partly on the group composition of the population and the nature of democratic institutions. Reviewing the experience of some African countries suggests that where there are multiple groups with no one dominating, as in mainland Tanzania, democracy is likely to be most stable and HIs to be lowest. In contrast, where there are two or three sizeable groups with large HIs, as in Cote D’Ivoire and Cameroon, political instability may follow with a breakdown in democratic institutions., Power-sharing democracies can reduce HIS and sustain political stability, illustrated by experience of Ghana and Nigeria.

While critical voices are claiming that that there is too little evidence of positive impact of human rights in development work, human rights-based approaches to social change have gained wide-spread support in development work, and have widely influenced development reports, programming, project evaluations and academic studies over the past 25 years. It is likely that human rights-based thinking and practice will continue to deepen and expand in the development discourse in years to come. This chapter addresses how human rights and development have been linked over the past decades, and how human rights is part of the sustainable development goals agenda. The chapter also makes a critical appraisal of the evolution of human rights-based approaches to development, with a particular emphasis on the concepts of human development and Amartya Sen’s capability approach. Finally, the chapter asks about the practical consequences of adopting a human rights approach to development and discusses how human rights may be adopted in development programming and implementation of project.