Conservative Elites and State Incapacities

In: New political economy, Band 7, Heft 2, S. 277-279

Abstract

Challenges Adrian Leftwich's (2002) claim that constraints imposed by democracy are the primary barriers to equitable development to argue that state capacity is an equally important obstacle. Contrary to Leftwich's implication that democracy can only be understood in the sense of electoral politics & elite consensus, it is contended that democratic systems have the potential to be more than conservative modes of governance due to their capacity to treat development as a project of empowerment, citizenship, & balanced growth. An exploration of the complex reasons democracies that emerged in the 1980s failed to achieve high degrees of popular control & equality in policy making argues that state practices of clientelism & predation constrict the capacity to deliver goods & services. A genuine process of democratization requires the transformation of the state, which is far more difficult than changing the institutions of government. It is concluded that the lack of development in the South is not the fault of democracy but of conservative policies linked with state incapacity. J. Lindroth