Young democracies – difficult, not doomed

Assistance to young democracies during their difficult years greatly increases their chances of success, new research suggests.  ”Difficult initial conditions do not necessarily mean democratization is doomed,” argues Ethan Kapstein, co-author of The Fate of Young Democracies.

Examining emerging democracies against a backdrop of an anti-democratic backlash and deteriorating quality of democracy even within free societies, analysis shows that democracy was reversed 51 percent of the time in societies with above average ethnic fragmentation. But a combination of appropriate political institutions and pro-growth economic policies, can help overcome ethnic divisions.