Promoting Democracy in Fragile States: Insights from a Field Experiment in Liberia

Field: Social Sciences (Social Sciences)

No AccessPolicy Research Working Papers22 Sep 2015Promoting Democracy in Fragile States: Insights from a Field Experiment in LiberiaAuthors/Editors: Eric Mvukiyehe, Cyrus SamiiEric Mvukiyehe, Cyrus Samiihttps://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-7370SectionsAboutPDF (5 MB) ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In Abstract: A field experiment in rural Liberia is used to study democratic participation in fragile states. Fragile states are marked by political fragmentation, local patronage systems, and voter vulnerability. To understand the effects of such conditions on democratic expression through elections, the experiment introduced new forms of interaction between rural citizens and third-party actors: (i) civic education and town hall workshops directed by non-governmental organizations in communities over nine months and (ii) security committees that brought rural community representatives into monthly exchange with United Nations peacekeepers. Civic education workshops increased enthusiasm for electoral participation, produced a coordinated shift from parochial to national candidates, and increased willingness to report on manipulation. A program combining the two interactions had similar effects. The security committees had negligible effects. Barriers to political information and voter coordination appear to be important but resolvable problems for elections in fragile states. Previous bookNext book FiguresreferencesRecommendeddetailsCited byMaking Young Voters, Vol.1019 February 2020Governance Interventions in Conflict-Affected CountriesThe Journal of Development Studies, Vol.55, No.71 July 2018 View Published: July 2015 Copyright & Permissions Related RegionsAfricaRelated CountriesLiberiaRelated TopicsGovernanceSocial Protections and Labor KeywordsTERRORISMFREEDOMVOTE CHOICEVOTING RIGHTSMOTIVATIONRIGHTSELECTION OUTCOMEACCOUNTINGPARTICIPANTSORDINARY CITIZENSPOLITICSINCOMELOYALTYGOVERNMENTUNITED NATIONSCITIZEN ACCESSPOLITICAL RIGHTSPOLITICIANSINFORMATIONMONITORINGPOLITICAL ECONOMYEFFECTSINCENTIVESINTERNATIONAL PEACELITERACY RATESPOLITICAL LANDSCAPEELECTORAL SYSTEMSCIVICSCIVIC EDUCATIONANARCHYPARTY MEMBERSCOMMUNITY MEMBERSDICTATORIAL REGIMESPOLITICAL PLURALISMQUEENNATIONAL ELECTIONSALLEGIANCEDEVELOPMENT ECONOMICSTRAININGEDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENTPOLITICAL BEHAVIORELECTORAL PARTICIPATIONCIVIL SOCIETYDEMOCRACYCANDIDATESATTRITIONVOTER TURNOUTELECTORAL INFORMATIONORGANIZATIONSPOLICY ISSUESBALLOT BOXREPRESENTATIVESACCESS TO INFORMATIONELECTIONSCONSTITUENTSCHANNELS OF COMMUNICATIONPOLICIESPARTICIPATIONMOBILE PHONEVALUEPLURALISMPOLITICAL SCIENCEPOLITICAL CULTURENATIONCONSTITUENCIESECONOMICSFREE PRESSDEMOCRACIESPOLITICAL AUTHORITYPOLITICAL CHANGECONSTITUENTCOMMITTEESTHEORYSECURITYPOLITICAL INFORMATIONELECTORAL CHOICESLIBERTYPATRONAGEFORMS OF PARTICIPATIONMONOPOLIESFACTIONSCRISESBANKINGVOTINGPARTICIPATION VARIABLESLAWVOTER PARTICIPATIONFREEDOMSCOLLECTIVE ACTIONGOVERNMENTSOUTCOMESELECTIONPOLITICAL LEADERSPOLITICAL PARTICIPATIONPEACEINNOVATIONSECONOMIC CONDITIONSPOLITICAL DISCUSSIONPOLITICAL DEMOCRACY PDF DownloadLoading ...