Perceptions of democracy within the Middle East and North Africa

Abstract

Support for democracy in the Middle East and North Africa constitutes an important element of democratization and the consolidation of transitions from authoritarian rule. Recent research has indicated the sharp decline of popular support for democracy because of extreme instability across the region. In this study, an empirical examination of the most recent data from the Arab Barometer (seventh wave) across 12 countries provides a comprehensive outlook on citizens' views on democracy in the region. Overall, Arab citizens across all countries included in the research believe that democracy is a better system compared with its alternatives despite its problems. More importantly, more than half the sample in each of the 12 countries agreed that democracy is associated with "weak economic performance", is "indecisive", and fails to maintain "order". Notwithstanding the sizable proportion of the population suggesting such negative connotations to democracy, Arab citizens generally still believe that democracy is a desirable "core value" to any society. Evidently, in countries that have witnessed large-scale instability, support for democracy seems to dwindle more compared with countries that have held free and fair elections and are characterized with lively party politics. This paper contributes to the literature on democratization by showing how long-term instability and mediocre economic growth lead to diminished support for democracy in developing countries.