Why Democracies Survive in Hard Places

Abstract Chapter 8 concludes the volume by analyzing the factors that enable democracy to survive in hard places, based on the case studies presented in the preceding chapters. Actors’ (especially parties’ and heads of government’s) normative preferences about democracy help explain the endurance of democracy in Argentina, Benin, India, Indonesia, South Africa, and Timor-Leste. The repudiation of a terrible past, such as a failed dictatorship, an armed conflict, or a war, have contributed to sustaining a commitment to democracy. A large partisan opposition and institutional constraints (strong legislatures and courts, and effective governance) can protect democracies, but they do not go far toward explaining democratic longevity in the cases in this volume. International actors and influences, particularly the European Union and the United States, and voters’ preferences can contribute to supporting democracy, but they do not explain its endurance in the cases covered by this book.