Measuring Democracy

Now that the dust has settled and the past regimes have been overthrown, Egypt and Tunisia are in transition. All eyes are on these countries as they attempt to reform their institutions and politics. And given the fact that our class is on democracy, how it is measured, and what consequences democratization entails, Egypt and Tunisia can serve as an excellent case-study in it’s attempt at political reform.

Both countries have put in place interim governments, purged of officials from the old regimes. But much debate still remains on how drastic change should be, as either could simply reform the current institutions or do away with them all together. There is also much debate on how and when to run elections, as if there can be complications if they are run too soon without proper rules and regulations in place.

In light of the readings for this week, I keep thinking back to the Carbone’s piece on consequences of democracy:

In order to survive and consolidate over the long term, any new democratic regime will need to undergo (among other things) a process of gradual legitimization. Legitimacy, in turn, can be acquired in two fundamental ways. The first is normative: people hold values and beliefs that assert democracy’s inherent superiority and value it for “its own sake”. The second is performance based: people come to accept democracy because it helps attain valued goals such as material well being or social peace.

With this in mind, if I were to consult with the leaders in Egypt and Tunisia, I would caution them to move slowly. The people have to believe that democracy is the best way to move forward. They have to believe in it’s legitimacy, in the fact that it will indeed make the society they live in a better place. As Carbone explains, this takes time.

It seems like in Egypt, at least,  some of the institutions are helping to instill confidence. The media, once controlled by Mubarak appointed editors, is now more independent of government and finally allowed to report the news as it pleases. Even the judiciary branch is moving in the right direction, prosecuting Mubarak and his associates as well as getting rid of bans on certain political parties.

Measures like these will definitely help make the transition in Egypt and Tunisia more successful. Time will tell how democracy will be accepted within either country.