Agonism in divided societies

Constitutional Design for Divided Societies

Over the past half-century, democratic constitutional design has undergone a sea change. After the Second World War, newly independent countries tended simply to copy the basic constitutional rules of their former colonial masters, without seriously considering alternatives. Today, constitution writers choose more deliberately among a wide array of constitutional models, with various advantages...

Electoral Systems for Divided Societies

What kinds of electoral systems can help democracy survive in countries split by deep cleavages of race, religion, language, or ethnicity? As is well-known, politicians in such “divided societies” often have strong incentives to “play the ethnic card” at election time, using communal appeals to mobilize voters. “Outbidding”—increasingly extreme rhetoric and demands—can offer rewards greater tha...

Territorial Approaches to Conflict Resolution in Divided Societies

Political Accountability in Divided Societies: The Politics of Fear

I present a model in which the combination of divided societies and weak institutions in the form of "Personal Rule" regimes creates a failure of accountability of the leadership. As a consequence, the ruler can construct a kleptocratic regime in which he can steal from the citizens, included his own supporters, even though he needs them to survive politically. The model also predicts extensive...

Democracy and growth in divided societies: A health-inequality trap?

Despite a tremendous increase in financial resources, many countries are not on track to achieve the child and maternal mortality targets set out in the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. It is commonly argued that two main social factors - improved democratic governance and aggregate income - will ultimately lead to progress in reducing child and maternal mortality. However, these two facto...