Democratization in Africa: A cross -national analysis

This dissertation examines the factors that are associated with the variation in the level of democracy in Africa. More specifically, I hypothesize that the dynamic of democratization in Africa is mainly influenced by three major factors: political leadership, the Cold War/the end of the Cold War politics, and economic development. Given the historical evidence, however, I assume that the impact of economic development on African democratization may be weak.;I use a case study and cross-national analysis to model the dynamics of democratization in the region. Relying on several factors, including the aforementioned ones, the case study explores the political dynamics in three countries; namely, Botswana, Tunisia, and Nigeria. I find that democracy in Botswana is mainly a product of political leadership and British colonial legacy. In Tunisia, democratization seems to stem from economic development, political leadership, and the Cold War politics. On the other hand, Nigeria has had the least level of democracy among the three countries perhaps because of poor political leadership, weak economic development, uneven impact of British colonial legacy, and cultural pluralism.;Using a pooled-time series research design, I test the impact of several variables (political leadership/military rule, economic development, education, economic liberalization policies, cultural pluralism, colonial legacy. British colonialism, and the Cold War/end of the Cold War politics) on the democratization process of 49 African countries from 1963 to 1997. The overall findings are mixed. Consistent with my assumptions, the most important variables that play a major role in influencing or impeding African democratization seem to be the Cold War/end of the Cold War politics, political leadership, and past democratic performance. In contrast, economic development seems to have a weak influence, as expected.;Lastly, I compare the results I find in Africa to the results I obtain for developing and worldwide countries. I find that the three most important factors that affect democratization in both the developing and worldwide countries are economic development, the end of the Cold War politics, and past democratic performance.;The main conclusion of this dissertation is that further democratization and democratic consolidation in Africa are likely to occur under the presence of competent political leadership (democratically predisposed and/or developmentally committed), vibrant economic growth, and democracy-friendly international environment.