April 2005, Volume 16, Issue 2
The Coalition for a Clean Parliament
This report is by Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, president of the Romanian Academic Society, who heads the Coalition for a Clean Parliament.
Articles
April 2005, Volume 16, Issue 2
Lipset’s Legacy
A review of The Democratic Century by Seymour Martin Lipset and Jason M. Lakin.
April 2005, Volume 16, Issue 2
Freedom’s Edge
A review of The Democratic Advantage: How Democracies Promote Prosperity and Peace by Morton H. Halperin, Joseph T. Siegle, and Michael M. Weinstein.
January 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1
Building Democracy After Conflict: Introduction
In the 15 years since the Journal of Democracy‘s inception, democracy has made extraordinary progress. But no challenge is greater than building democratic institutions in postconflict situations.
January 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1
Building Democracy After Conflict: Lessons from Iraq
The U.S.-led reconstruction effort has so far failed to establish democratic institutions in Iraq. But as troubled as that effort has been, it provides valuable lessons for future nation-building endeavors.
January 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1
Building Democracy After Conflict: Bullets, Ballots, and Poppies in Afghanistan
By mid-2003, Afghanistan appeared in danger of reverting to “failed-state” status. Happily, the resilience of the Afghans plus some policy changes by the United States and its parners have put things on the right track, though daunting challenges remain.
January 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1
Building Democracy After Conflict: The ‘Helsinki Moment’ in Southeastern Europe
Why has the European Union, which has been so successful in transforming its candidate countries, failed in its efforts to promote democracy and development in Bosnia and Kosovo?
January 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1
Building Democracy After Conflict: Constitutional Medicine
The art or science of designing constitutions can benefit from the insights and methods that undergird the arts and sciences of medical diagnosis and therapy.
January 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1
Building Democracy After Conflict: The Case for Shared Sovereignty
In the conditions of today's world, countries that are in a bad way as regards some aspects of their governance may benefit from agreeing to share portions of their sovereignty with external actors.
January 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1
Building Democracy After Conflict: ‘Stateness’ First
World events-recent, current, and almost certainly to come-drive home the truth that before there can be a democratic state, there must first be a functioning state, period. Creating workable states where they have been destroyed or have barely existed yields to none among the challenges of our time.
January 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1
The IMF and Democratic Governance
Like many other world-government bodies, the International Monetary Fund is a necessarily nondemocratic organitzation that cannot help but have an impact on democracy’s prospects in poorer countries.
January 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1
The 2004 Freedom House Survey: Worrisome Signs, Modest Shifts
Modest progress in the muslim-majority countries is complemented by mass mobilization for democracy and freedom in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia ranks as Not Free for the first time since the fall of communism.
January 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1
The Referendum in Venezuela: One Act in an Unfinished Drama
Both the supporters and the foes of President Hugo Chavez went into the August 2004 recall hoping for a complete and final win. While Chavez kept his job and even rides high, Venezuela is still nowhere close to closure.
January 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1
The Referendum in Venezuela: Elections versus Democracy
While charges of electronic fraud in the actual voting or vote-counting are unproven, the dubious and even illegal tactics that the Chavez regime used throughout the larger process point to rampant "institutional fraud" that is undermining Venezuelan democracy.
January 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1
Hong Kong’s Democrats Stumble
The democratic forces had an uphill climb going into the September 2004 legislative elections, but they made unforced errors as well. What were these, and how can the democrats do better next time?
January 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1
Elections in India: Behind the Congress Comeback
To everyone's surprise, the Congress party defeated the incumbent BJP in the April-May 2004 parliamentary elections. What caused this political turnaround, and what will be its effects?
January 2005, Volume 16, Issue 1
What’s in Store for China
A review of China's Democratic Future: How It Will Happen and Where It Will Lead by Bruce Gilley.
October 2004, Volume 15, Issue 4
Latin American Presidencies Interrupted
Over the last two decades, Latin America has seen more than a dozen presidencies come to a premature end. It is time to consider changing constitutional designs that promote conflict rather than more consensual ways of doing politics.
October 2004, Volume 15, Issue 4
The Quality of Democracy: An Overview
Since most of the world’s sovereign states are now democracies, there is a growing scholarly focus on “good” or “better” democracy, and on how improvements can not only be measured, but encouraged.
October 2004, Volume 15, Issue 4
The Quality of Democracy: Why the Rule of Law Matters
Law-based rule means a set of basic conditions that make civic life possible. A democratic rule of law requires all that and more, however.