In Mozambique, the number of elephants fell from 17,000 in 1989 to 1,495 in 1994. And the number of elephants in Somalia plummeted from 2,000 in 1989 to just 130 in 1994. The authors conclude that a lack of property rights encourages illegal poaching. They also note that political instability has a negative impact on herd size as well. Reported in Contemporary Economic Policy , January, 2000.
Democracies rise and fall for a variety of reasons.
But economist Robert J. Barro has found that some factors are more or less predictive of whether a democracy will succeed or fail. Having a relatively high standard of living was the best determinant of a democracy's success, Barro found. Other factors contributing to success include having a large number of citizens who follow either Protestant, Catholic, or Hindu religions, and being a former British or Spanish colony. Having a large population of adherents to other eastern religions or Islam, and being a former French, Portuguese, or other colony were determinant of failure, Barro found. A high level of primary schooling and a large middle class also favored success, whereas having a high level of secondary schooling did not predict success, he found.