TY - JOUR
T1 - The quest for democratic stability in two limited access order systems
T2 - Ghana and South Korea in perspective
AU - Kuditchar, Nene Lomotey
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright 2019 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - Researchers contemplating the experiences of Ghana and South Korea often emphasize a divergent pattern of economic development. Such endeavors, generally articulated with reference to mid-twentieth century benchmarks, often suggest Ghana had relatively better prospects of economic development. However highlights from these efforts often miss the fact that the ruling elites of both states faced and resolved similar strategic imperatives in the quest for democratic stability. Using North et al.'s notion of limited access orders, I contend that the two elite systems initially confronted pressures of systemic violence and economic stagnation. In the quest for democratic stability, the respective elite constituencies adopted the same tactic of selective inclusion so as to generate rents to secure the credible commitment of potentially disruptive elites. If recent political developments are credible indicators, it may be argued that both states are maturing into stable democracies. This notwithstanding, Ghana's elites seem to lag behind South Korea when it comes to engineering a benign fusion of democratic stability with deep horizontal economic empowerment. Given this, South Korean elites can offer useful insights to their Ghanaian counterparts.
AB - Researchers contemplating the experiences of Ghana and South Korea often emphasize a divergent pattern of economic development. Such endeavors, generally articulated with reference to mid-twentieth century benchmarks, often suggest Ghana had relatively better prospects of economic development. However highlights from these efforts often miss the fact that the ruling elites of both states faced and resolved similar strategic imperatives in the quest for democratic stability. Using North et al.'s notion of limited access orders, I contend that the two elite systems initially confronted pressures of systemic violence and economic stagnation. In the quest for democratic stability, the respective elite constituencies adopted the same tactic of selective inclusion so as to generate rents to secure the credible commitment of potentially disruptive elites. If recent political developments are credible indicators, it may be argued that both states are maturing into stable democracies. This notwithstanding, Ghana's elites seem to lag behind South Korea when it comes to engineering a benign fusion of democratic stability with deep horizontal economic empowerment. Given this, South Korean elites can offer useful insights to their Ghanaian counterparts.
KW - democratic stability and limited access order systems
KW - elite coalitions
KW - political instability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85063323348&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1163/15692108-12341415
DO - 10.1163/15692108-12341415
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85063323348
SN - 1569-2094
VL - 18
SP - 40
EP - 62
JO - African and Asian Studies
JF - African and Asian Studies
IS - 1-2
ER -