Open AccessThe state of democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa
Author(s) -
Robert H. Bates,
Ghada Fayad,
Anke Hoeffler
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
international area studies review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.26
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 2233-8659
pISSN - 2049-1123
DOI - 10.1177/2233865912462373
Subject(s) - democratization , democracy , development economics , politics , state (computer science) , per capita , per capita income , economics , panel data , demographic economics , power (physics) , developing country , political science , economic growth , demography , population , sociology , econometrics , law , physics , algorithm , computer science , quantum mechanics
Africa experienced a wave of democratization over the past 20 years and this increase in democracy, we find, positively and significantly affects income per capita. Our dynamic panel data results suggest that countries only slowly converge to their long-run income values as predicted by current democracy levels, however. African countries may therefore be currently too democratic relative to their income levels. In keeping with this possibility, a significant number of countries are experiencing political ‘back sliding’: elections are won by the use of illicit tactics, term limits on political leaders have been overturned and there have been unconstitutional seizures of power.
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