[Civsoc-mw] Wash Post opinion piece on aid to promote Democ in Africa

Fri Aug 16 08:06:17 CAT 2019

 <https://www.washingtonpost.com/global-opinions/> DemocracyPost Opinion 

Why the international community should prioritize democracy over development
in Africa

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Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita talks with an official during the
swearing-in ceremony for the newly elected president of Mauritania at a
conference center in Nouakchott on Aug. 1. (Seyllou/AFP/Getty Images) 

By Jeffrey Smith 

August 15 at 2:13 PM 

Jeffrey Smith is the founding director of Vanguard Africa and the Vanguard
Africa Foundation, which support pro-democracy initiatives and free and fair
elections across Africa.

By now it's no secret:
<https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/01/08/the-retreat-of-global-d
emocracy-stopped-in-2018> Democracy is under attack worldwide. A Who's Who
of selfish leaders, from ascendant populist demagogues to long-reigning
dictators, has turbocharged the assault on democratic institutions. Leaders
on both the right and left of the political spectrum have elbowed their way
into the fight, and the contagion has affected all regions of the world. It
also shows
<https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2019> little
sign of abating.

This corroding commitment to democracy on the part of political elites has
naturally filtered down to the average person. According to a recent survey,
a median of 51 percent of people polled in 27 countries are
<https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2019/04/29/many-across-the-globe-are-dis
satisfied-with-how-democracy-is-working/> dissatisfied with how democracy is
working for them.

Yet there is one region of the world that is following a different trend.
Data shows that an
<http://afrobarometer.org/publications/pp58-africans-want-open-elections-esp
ecially-if-they-bring-change> overwhelming majority of Africans believe that
democracy remains the best form of government and that free, fair and
multiparty elections remain the ideal way to choose their leaders. While
<https://qz.com/899586/global-voter-turnout-is-dropping-dramatically-across-
the-world/> voter turnout is declining globally, it has been relatively
stable in Africa over the past few decades. To
<https://theconversation-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/theconversation.com/amp/
democracy-in-africa-success-stories-that-have-defied-the-odds-120601>
paraphrase a notable scholar: While people are questioning the value of
democracy, especially in many Western states, African populations who have
experienced one-party or military rule are prepared to fight the resurgence
of authoritarianism.

National leaders, however, often disagree. Africa's three most recent
elections
<https://www.afrobarometer.org/publications/pp54-democracy-africa-demand-sup
ply-and-dissatisfied-democrat> illustrate the resulting divide.

<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/04/world/africa/benin-protests-talon-yayi.h
tml> Benin,
<https://www.ft.com/content/5f0efdba-ade1-11e9-8030-530adfa879c2?segmentid=a
cee4131-99c2-09d3-a635-873e61754ec6> Malawi and
<https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/07/23/mauritania-widespread-arrests-blunt-bac
klash-over-election> Mauritania, while quite different from each other in
many respects, have all endured post-election fallout resulting in violence,
mass arrests, the targeting of activists and various court challenges. The
discontent is fueled by assumptions that those in power imposed themselves
by force or illegality rather than fairly by the ballot box.

While these inevitable breaking points are evident, they are also avoidable.
All three countries are part of a trend in which significant resources have
been spent on so-called nonpolitical development initiatives, including
public health and education. This safe and rather noncontroversial approach
keeps grant managers and donors happy.

But it also helps to empower and further entrench abusive leaders, in Africa
and elsewhere. To be blunt: Modern authoritarians have learned to play the
"reform game," absorbing massive amounts of external aid while
<https://qz.com/africa/1299149/how-the-uns-sustainable-development-goals-und
ermine-democracy/> avoiding genuine reform. This often sets a country back
for generations, and consequently provides an expedient avenue for donors
and development organizations to continue to fill.

This is not to deny the importance of development interventions,
<https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/issue-brief/the-current-ebola-outb
reak-and-the-u-s-role-an-explainer/> such as assisting African partners to
stanch the spread of Ebola or building schools or vaccinating children.
Stopgap measures have their value, and they often save lives that would
otherwise be lost or devalued. Such interventions, though, must be properly
identified as tactical measures, not a feature of long-term strategies.

Simply put: Despite what the world's autocrats and their
<https://qz.com/africa/1299149/how-the-uns-sustainable-development-goals-und
ermine-democracy/> curious bedfellows in the development world would have
you believe, a healthy democracy is essential for boosting a country's
development outcomes. The data shows that African citizens understand this
fact. They have lived it. Donors and major development organizations would
be wise to follow their lead.

Importantly, development aid and pro-democracy aid can play
<https://carnegieendowment.org/2013/11/06/aiding-democracy-in-africa-critica
l-assessment-event-4233> complementary roles. Yet donors, and the citizens
they are actually seeking to empower, would receive a bigger return on their
investments over the long term by focusing on building democracy.

First and foremost, democracy has been shown to
<https://www.cfr.org/article/democracy-matters-global-health> improve a
nation's overall health. This is because democratic governments are
inherently more open, more accountable and transparent, as well as
protective of media freedom. This enabling environment allows leaders to be
more responsive and use feedback to improve the quality of basic services.
Democratic nations are also more likely to increase
<https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)30235-1/
fulltext> their own spending on health care in the long term, which benefits
all sides involved.

Second, there is
<https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2014/05/democracy-boost-economic-growth/>
strong evidence that democracy leads to stronger economies. This democratic
advantage is
<https://issafrica.org/research/papers/the-future-of-democracy-in-africa>
especially pronounced for African countries that have remained democratic
for longer periods of time. More often than not, autocrats and other abusive
leaders fail to implement the needed reforms that will sustain economic
growth. Since they are not held accountable -
<https://unu.edu/publications/articles/to-aid-or-not-to-aid-the-case-of-rwan
da.html> and because the aid continues to flow, regardless - they really
have no incentive to act in the public interest.

Third, states that hold free and fair elections, and leaders who abide by
basic democratic principles, are inherently
<https://www.v-dem.net/media/filer_public/9c/c0/9cc04b80-a0b9-4d51-8374-c9df
8b9607e9/v-dem_working_paper_2017_43.pdf> less corrupt. They are also
<https://mg.co.za/article/2019-07-29-democracy-and-violence-in-africa-how-a-
lack-of-democracy-fuels-violent-extremism> better positioned to prevent
non-state violence, including acts of terrorism.

The evidence is clear: Positive development outcomes are dependent on
democratic foundations, including free and fair elections. Development
organizations and donors alike should take this as an excellent excuse to
<https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/07/04/738477296/good-news-ab
out-democracy-its-good-for-your-health> add democracy promotion to their
portfolios. Aid-givers should prioritize the democratic demands of African
citizens - and allocate resources accordingly. Until that happens,
authoritarians and ruthless dictators will
<https://www.milkeninstitute.org/people/his-excellency-paul-kagame-global-co
nference-2019> continue to be feted at glitzy international conferences,
even as they continue to repress their own people. Their domination will be
maintained under the guise of "development," and they will continue to dupe
well-intentioned do-gooders everywhere.

A rethink is long overdue. It is time to start addressing the root causes of
global democratic backsliding, and to stop merely applying Band-Aids to its
evident symptoms.