Democracy and development in Africa

Essay from the year 2016 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: Development Politics, grade: B, , course: Politics, Human security and Development, language: English, abstract: This paper seeks to analyze whether democracy has led to development or it has led to underdevelopment. My main argument is that the Western style of Democracy has failed to work in Africa and thus if development is to be achieved, Africa needs a democracy that is in tune to its own culture. Winston Churchill famously criticized democracy as "the worst form of Government". Indeed people get a voice to shape their political and economic destinies through democratic exercises but in it has many imperfections. The Westminster Democracy has failed to be successful in Africa and critics have argued that it is because it does not speak to the culture of Africans. They suggest the need for an African democracy that speaks to values and cultures of Africans for it to be successful. However proponents of democracy say that The Western democracy is a good form of government that can lead to socio- economic development if it is given time to develop. They give examples of Successful democracy in the developed world and state that it took some countries more than 200 years to achieve successful democracy and therefore Africa should be given the time. The problem however is that Africa continues to languish as underdeveloped under the umbrella of democracy and we really do not have that time to wait and build democracy at the expense of development. Any pragmatic person can assertively say that the democracy that is currently being practiced is a social and economic ill to Africa. The article begins by defining what democracy and development means. I then give the characteristics of a democratic state and Africa's sociopolitical way of life. The article will also carry out a comparative analysis of the correlation between democracy and development and highlight the failures of democratic practice in Africa. In the last pages it will examine negative impact of democracy to development in Africa and suggest the way forward to a failed democracy while suggesting the concept of good governance to attaining development.