Selling democracy abroad or rescuing it at home? The hazards of democracy promotion

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the relationship between changes in the nature of democracy in the West and the promotion of democracy in the Third World. It begins by examining arguments about the nature and extent of changes in Western democracy since the 1960s. It then considers the objectives of democracy promoters and the indigenous response, before going on to look at the actual dynamics of democracy promotion. There is a brief exploration of the specific case of Tanzania. Among the main problems highlighted are the emphases by democracy promoters on party competition, which often fails to advance interest aggregation or scrutiny of the executive, and the promotion of a narrowly conceived civil society.