Michael Bratton
The Meanings of Democracy: Anchoring the “D-Word” in Africa
ArticleEfforts to do comparative research on political attitudes have been complicated by varying understandings of “democracy.” The Afrobarometer is exploring new techniques to overcome this difficulty.
Zimbabwe's Long Agony
ArticleOnce hailed as liberators, Zimbabwe’s ruling party now clings to power through violent repression. How did the country’s founding father become its dictator, and what patterns in his party’s past foretold such an outcome?
Public Opinion and Democratic Legitimacy
ArticleDo young democracies have to "deliver the goods" economically in order to win political legitimacy in their citizens' eyes? Public opinion data from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Arab world suggest some fascinating answers.
The Democracy Barometers (Part I): Formal versus Informal Institutions in Africa
ArticleSurvey data indicate that Africans support democracy and its formal institutions, but also point to the importance of the informal realm, particularly when formal institutions fail to meet popular expectations.
The "Alteration Effect" in Africa
ArticleSurveys show that Africans' commitment to democracy fades over time, but also that their support can be refreshed by alternations in power via elections.
How People View Democracy: Africans' Surprising Universalism
ArticleAlthough Africa is a latecomer to democratization, Africans overwhelmingly support democracy, and their conception of democracy is surprisingly liberal.
Second Elections in Africa
ArticleThe early 1990s saw a wave of competitive multiparty elections in Africa. These contests can be described as "founding" elections in the sense that they marked for various countries a transition from an extended period of authoritarian rule to fledgling democratic government. By the middle of the 1990s, this wave had crested. Although founding elections continued to be conducted in African countries that were latecomers to the political-reform bandwagon, they took place less frequently than earlier in the decade.
