Weak states and uneven pluralism
Lessons from Mali and Kyrgyzstan
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6252900 |
|---|---|
| Authors | J Bleck (0000-0002-8820-4491, University of Notre Dame), Igor Logvinenko (0000-0002-3110-5943, Wellesley College, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 804-823 |
| Publication date | 2018-07-04 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Democratization (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1351-0347 • E-ISSN: 1743-890X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13510347.2017.1422245 |
| OpenAlex | W2783879866 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 53 |
We argue that certain important democratic practices and elements of pluralism are lasting features of political systems in many poor countries. Because of state weakness, such arrangements work to the benefit of both elites and citizens. The broader citizenry and civil society enjoy significant political freedoms and greater access to foreign aid. Elites tolerate these limited civil liberties and regular elections because they produce few costly consequences due to state incapacity. We evaluate this theory of ‘uneven pluralism’ in poor countries using evidence from a paired comparison of Mali and Kyrgyzstan. These two countries have experienced significant political turbulence, but on balance have shown a persistent and robust commitment to a free press, transparent elections, and respect for freedom of association. Our theory suggests that uneven pluralism is likely to continue in countries like Mali and Kyrgyzstan, even as significant limits on judicial independence, persistent corruption, and lack of government transparency make democratic consolidation unlikely
Authoritarianism · Civil liberties · Civil society · Democracy · Democratic consolidation · Democratization · Development economics · Economics · Pluralism (philosophy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Transparency (behavior · Corruption and Economic Development · International Development and Aid · Law · Political Conflict and Governance
Where Are All Our Sheep?
Clan Politics and Regime Transition in Central Asia
Self-Enforcing Democracy
Patronal Politics
Corruption as a Last Resort
From Empires to NGOs in the West African Sahel
Constructing Democracy in Transitioning Societies of Africa
Democracy and Redistribution
Blogging Down the Dictator? The Kyrgyz Revolution and Samizdat Websites
Do elites benefit from democracy and foreign aid in developing countries
March and after
A new look
Home-grown strategies for greater agency
How to build a better future? Kyrgyzstani development workers and the ‘knowledge transfer’ strategy
Democracy as an equilibrium
State Power and the Economic Origins of Democracy
Evoking moral community, fragmenting Muslim discourse
A Festival of Brigands
Crisis in Mali
What Democracy Does (and Doesn’t Do) for Basic Services
The End of the Transition Paradigm
Democracy Assistance
Pluralism by Default in Moldova
Extreme Bounds of Democracy
Conditioning the Effects of Aid
The State as Investment Market
Democracy and State Capacity
Does democracy produce quality of government
State or democracy first? Alternative perspectives on the state-democracy nexus
The promotion of democracy at the grass‐roots
The multi-faceted role of religious actors in democratization processes
Is There a Necessary Condition for Democracy? The Role of State Capacity in Postcommunist Countries
The Strategy of Paired Comparison
Democracy and Education Spending in Africa
When Do the Rich Vote Less Than the Poor and Why? Explaining Turnout Inequality across the World
Coups and Democracy
Islamistes et rebelles touaregs maliens
Bringing the outside in
Extraversion, vulnerability to donors, and political liberalization in Africa
Mali
The Attempt to Reform Family Law in Mali
The fall of a donor darling
Democracy, Development, and the International System
Some Social Requisites of Democracy
The formation of an 'Islamic sphere' in French Colonial West Africa
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,75 |
| Citation span | 2018 - 2025 (8) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |