What are the main threats/impediments to democracy present in the state?

Policy Memo #1
Due Date: Oct 25, 2021

In the “Democratic Rollback,”
Larry Diamond identifies a group of states in which the emergence of stable
democracy has been “slowed by a powerful authoritarian tow.” These states include China, Egypt, Iran,
Russia, Turkey and Venezuela. Diamond
also identifies a set of comparatively stable yet still troubled democracies in
which there are “serious problems of governance and deep pockets of
disaffection.” These states include
Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, and South Africa.
For this assignment, please choose one of these states, and write a
policy memo. This memo should address
two main questions: (1) What are the main threats/impediments to democracy
present in the state? (2) What sorts of policies and/or institutions
must be put in place in order to make the state an accountable, legitimate and
stable democracy?

To begin, please see the
Assignments section of Blackboard; there, you will find a profile of each of
these states. These profiles have two
main sources: the 2016 Report by Freedom House[1],
entitled “Freedom in the World,” and the 4th edition[2]
of the World Encyclopaedia of Political Systems and Parties. These profiles describe the political
institutions, political culture, as well as threats to, and prospects for,
democracy in each state. You are also
expected to make extensive use of assigned course material: for this
assignment, the articles by Diamond, Douglass C. North and Barry Weingast,
Daron Acemoglu, Fareed Zakaria and S.M. Lipset are particularly relevant. Of course, you are also welcome, but not
obligated, to consult additional secondary material; you will find suggestions
for further reading in the aforementioned profiles.

[1]
Available online at:
https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2016

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