“Support for Democracy Seen Falling in Africa” is the Washington Post headline – a stronger version of Afrobarometer’s own headline of “African Democracy Faces Continuing Challenges”, describing the results of its latest 18-country survey. “A Study in Contradictions” would be a more apt title.
Looking beyond the headlines and press clips to the survey results themselves, there are many interesting points and contradictions to be found. The report actually states that popular support for democracy remains high, albeit down slightly from past surveys. It then goes on, however, to note that the survey’s overall satisfaction ratings with democracy are driven by rapid declines in Nigeria, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe??? This is Mugabe’s Zimbabwe – where one-man rule has become the norm, fear of reprisal for political dissent is palpable, and where the farms that had been the breadbasket for the region were nationalized and given to ‘veterans’ with few farming skills, resulting in devastatingly high food prices and shortages throughout the country.
Seeing Zimbabwe included made me wonder just how democracy was defined for the survey. There are interesting contradictions here, too. Respondents primarily associate democracy with freedom – freedom of association, speech, etc., though notably the need for press freedom rates low. Yet the perceptions about the quality of democracy seem to be linked primarily to the quality of elections and to contact with representatives between elections. Respondents showed significant disappointment with the level of interaction with their representatives, noting that they visit their districts infrequently at best – and in some cases, less than once a year! (Tanzania was a terrific exception, where officials are credited with better interaction in their districts.)
This lack of officials’ responsiveness understandably is reflected in other findings in the survey. Afrobarometer states that “we find that while Africans rate the quality of their elections relatively highly, the ability of elections to provide them with either a real voice in government, or an effective means for enforcing accountability on their representatives, remains much less certain.” Notably, however, respondents do not see enforcing accountability as a voter role; they primarily expect self-regulation among officials. And yet their perceptions of corruption are high and their trust of the government and institutions is low. But they don’t consider that one of the top ten problems facing their countries.
Somewhat surprisingly, education and healthcare got generally favorable reviews by respondents, while basic household services and police protection were rated worst among interactions with the state.
Afrobarometer caveats its survey findings by noting that the 18 countries chosen are not fully representative of the continent, given that most of them have undergone varying degrees of reform and thus are among the most open governments on the continent. (again, Zimbabwe???) There were clear variations, and Botswana, which has arguably made some of the greatest strides, stood out as having gained the most confidence of its people across a variety of categories. Its leadership in reform has been recognized not only internationally but, most importantly, by its people.
Despite the disappointment expressed by respondents in many of the countries, Afrobarometer also notes that “Africans have become more politically patient,” accepting that the system will take time to improve. They are most strongly motivated to act when state actions are egregious and personal, such as improper arrest or seizing of land. Given the passivity expressed about the voter role in accountability, however, perhaps it would be better if they were less patient, expected more of their representatives, made those expectations firmly known, and demanded accountability.
Skip the headlines and, for a more interesting read, go to the full survey (40+ pages, including charts) at http://www.afrobarometer.org/papers/AfropaperNo61.pdf.
Published Date: May 25, 2006