An fsQCA Approach to Understanding Stability in Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle Eastern, and North African Countries

Abstract International regime theory posits that formal and informal mechanisms reflect states’ expectation of establishing political stability within their territories. This paper argues that democratization, economic improvement, and better environmental performance have several nexuses with political stability among the countries. Using fsQCA to analyze 69 countries in sub-Saharan Africa ( SSA ), and the Middle East and North Africa ( MENA ), the interaction among human freedom, democratic performance, GDP per capita, and environmental performance on political stability provides insight into conditions that promote or hinder stability. This paper reveals that improved democratic performance associated with environmental protection, despite low GDP in SSA and MENA , reflects stability. Furthermore, despite environmental protection, the absence of human rights protection results in drawbacks in promoting stability. The implication is that policies toward democratization and environmental protection are mutually compatible, even in developing countries, and should be promoted simultaneously.