Exploring the Impact of Semi-Presidentialism on Third-Wave Democratizing Countries

Abstract

Many nations have started down the path of democratization under the impact of the third-wave of democratization. After the completion of democracies, their consolidation has become an urgent issue for these emerging democracies. The study of democratic consolidation in third-wave democracies is one of the popular topics of comparative political science research, in which the difference in the form of government organization is an important indicator for assessing the stability of democracies in third-wave democratizing countries. Some scholars have proposed the conditions for democratic consolidation in emerging democracies by studying the structural factors of society (level of economic development, spread of democratic concepts, and demonstration effects in neighboring countries). However, there is a lack of consistency in the understanding of how the type of governance affects the consolidation of democracy. A look at the forms of government chosen by emerging democracies reveals that many countries have mostly adopted semi-presidential institutional arrangements. As a result, using a literature review methodology and theoretical analysis, this study examines the effects of implementing semi-presidentialism on polity stability and the capacity of the government to govern successfully in emerging democracies. The study concludes that semi-presidentialism have more adverse than beneficial effects on democratic consolidation in emerging democracies.