Political liberalization and democratization in African countries: A qualitative analysis

Abstract

In the literature analyzing democratization processes, a central discussion is that institutional arrangements and historical aspects have an influence on the chances of success. The main prescriptions in the literature point to certain arrangements, such as the combination of either Parlamentarianism, proportional representation, and bicameralism or that of Presidentialism and majority representation, as favoring the democratization process. Using the Boolean method, the article tests these hypotheses in the African context and reaches the conclusion that the main prescriptions in the literature are inadequate for analyzing democratization in Africa.