Why Malawi's Democracy Endures

Bibliographic Data

ID6286876
AuthorsKim Yi Dionne (0000-0002-1335-572X, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume35
Issue2
Pages122-135
Publication date2024-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of democracy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1045-5736 • E-ISSN: 1086-3214
PublisherProject MUSE (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1353/jod.2024.a922838
OpenAlexW4393102370
LanguageEN
Citations received2

While other African states experienced democratic erosion, Malawi has defied the odds and weathered attacks on its democracy, including those initiated by its powerful presidents. As a "hard place" for democracy—a poor country with a long authoritarian past and politically relevant ethnic divisions—what explains the resilience of Malawi's democracy? The courts and civil society served as countervailing forces against democratic backsliding. Through legal challenges and popular mobilizations, they have countered attempts by presidents to consolidate power and extend their terms. Unfortunately for Malawians, these countervailing forces were likely facilitated by other negative conditions, namely economic distress and presidential unpopularity. Malawi's experience, complemented by Zambia's recent pivot away from authoritarianization, provides some optimism for those concerned about democratic backsliding in Africa by demonstrating the potential for resilience even in challenging contexts

Authoritarianism · Democracy · Development economics · Economics · Optimism · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Presidential system · Psychological resilience · Sociology · Law · Peacebuilding and International Security · Political Conflict and Governance · Psychology