Does democracy fuel corruption in developing countries? Understanding Ghanaians’ perspectives

Abstract

ABSTRACT Whether democratic governance breeds corruption, especially in developing countries that practice democracy, is highly debatable. Using primary data from interviews and relevant secondary data from media reports and scholarly work, this article aims to address a fundamental question: Does democracy fuel corruption in Ghana’s Fourth Republic? Although 20% of participants believed that democracy breeds corruption, about 80% disagreed. The study indicates that democracy does not necessarily bring about corruption; rather, what fuels corruption is how democracy is practiced. Based on the stage/age of democracy thesis, this study does not suggest less corruption in a dictatorship compared to democracy. Instead, the study indicates that despite its democracy being over 29 years old, corruption is still prevalent because Ghana has a flawed democracy that has failed to establish and implement robust accountability mechanisms to control corruption effectively. The theoretical and policy implication is to avoid a lengthy period of the flawed/electoral democracy phase and move to the mature democracy phase by, for example, ensuring a sustained political commitment to combatting corruption and strengthening the rule of law and accountability institutions such as the judiciary. This study extends the theoretical and empirical understanding of the relationship between democracy and corruption.