Why are small Island States Democracies?

Anckar, Dag

doi:10.1080/0035853022000010344

Cited by 86 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…However, with measures of education and middle class controlled for, income continues to have an independent effect as well (Barro 1999). Natural circumstances such as country size and insularity are further found to affect the prevalence of democracy (Anckar 2002;Barro 1999;Clague et al 2001;Hadenius 1992), although the theoretical mechanism behind these relationships is rather obscure. In addition, income inequality, the urbanization rate, and ethnic heterogeneity have been argued to influence democracy.…”

Section: The Democracy Paradox Of Islammentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Statistically observable effects of these factors are rather weak, however (Barro 1999). On top of such general determinants of democracy, researchers have called attention to historical particularities such as colonial legacy (Anckar 2002;Clague et al 2001;Huntington 1984;Weiner 1987), religious background, and cultural traditions (Clague et al 2001;Huntington 1993;Inglehart 1988). In particular, Islam consistently shows up as a significant, negative factor in many empirical studies (Barro 1999;Fish 2002;Karatnycky 2002;Midlarsky 1998;Rowley and Smith 2009;Ross 2001).…”

Section: The Democracy Paradox Of Islammentioning

confidence: 99%

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Why Muslims like democracy yet have so little of it

Maseland

Hoorn

2010

Public Choice

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This paper explains the observed combination of relatively low levels of democracy and positive attitudes towards it in the Muslim world. It argues that this democracy paradox is understandable from the perspective of the principle of diminishing marginal utility: people value highly that of which they have little. This reasoning implies, however, that surveys like the World Values Surveys (WVS) elicit circumstance-driven marginal preferences rather than culturally determined attitudinal traits. Empirical evidence showing that individuals living in undemocratic societies have much more favorable inclinations towards democracy supports our argument.

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Section: The Democracy Paradox Of Islammentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Democracy Paradox Of Islammentioning

confidence: 99%

Why Muslims like democracy yet have so little of it

Maseland

Hoorn

2010

Public Choice

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“…The political representation of women is significant both in that women's underrepresentation is viewed as symbolic of this 'crisis of democracy', and in that increasing the presence of women is seen as a potential way to ameliorate it (Waylen 2015). In the academic literature on the politics of small states, it is often claimed that small states are more likely to be democratic (Anckar 2002;Hadenius 1992;Srebrnik 2004; see also Veenendaal 2014). Indeed, the Pacific Islands region is made up entirely of small island developing states, 4 which have been -despite sometimes high levels of political instability, and much debate over whether democracy is relevant to and appropriate for Pacific cultures (see Larmour 1994) -largely continuously democratic, in the sense that elections are frequently held and that the executive is accountable to an elected legislature, since the post-colonial era began in the 1960s (see Corbett 2015b;Reilly 2002).…”

Section: Gender and Democracy In The Pacific Islandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Great Expectations: Gender and Political Representation in the Pacific Islands

Baker¹

2017

Gov. & oppos.

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Women make up just 6.1 per cent of Pacific parliamentarians. Increasing women's representation is a key area of focus for political leaders and aid donors, both as a human rights issue and as a vehicle for the substantive representation of women. Women's participation in politics in the Pacific Islands is often seen as a form of social contract between women. Female voters are expected to vote for female candidates. In exchange, female parliamentarians are expected to act, not just for the constituency that elected them, but for women as a group. This article examines the expectations that are placed on the political participation of Pacific women, and argues that attempts to increase women's participation in politics in the region should avoid reinforcing these expectations through an emphasis on substantive representation.

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“…1 On the one hand, Freedom House ranks them as stubbornly and disproportionately democratic (Diamond & Tsalik, 1999;Ott, 2000;Anckar, 2002;Srebrnik 2004). On the other hand, as a group they do not conform to the standard preconditions -economic growth, educated middle class, social homogeneity etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Westminster in small states: comparing the Caribbean and pacific experience

Corbett

Veenendaal

2016

Contemporary Politics

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Small states, and those in the Caribbean and Pacific regions in particular, are among the most stubbornly and disproportionally democratic countries in the world. And yet, they are rarely studied comparatively, despite sharing seemingly obvious similarities -aside from being small island states with developing economies they also tend to share a British colonial heritage and Westminster-inspired political institutions. This omission is all the more puzzling if we consider that the group does not conform to the standard battery of explanations developed by democratization theorists. To pave the way for further research across these two regions, this article provides a synoptic comparison of the process of democratization in Caribbean and Pacific small states. We highlight important similarities and differences that stem from the interaction between formal institutions and informal practices. We conclude by reiterating the benefits for scholars of democratization by looking at these significant yet hitherto rarely compared cases.

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Why are small Island States Democracies?

Cited by 86 publications

References 16 publications

Why Muslims like democracy yet have so little of it

Why Muslims like democracy yet have so little of it

Great Expectations: Gender and Political Representation in the Pacific Islands

Westminster in small states: comparing the Caribbean and pacific experience

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