Abstract:
The advent of democratisation saw the institutionalisation of electoral reforms which consists
mainly of competitive, multiparty systems, universal adult suffrage and regularly contested
elections. This type of democracy, being— largely “electoral” in nature, stresses the
importance of electoral procedures or a minimalist conception of democracy. However,
democracy in a broader sense or maximalist perspective extends beyond the realm of
electoral proceedings and incorporates various political and socioeconomic variables. It is
from this maximalist perspective of democracy that there has evolved studies on the “quality
of democracy”, which aim to measure the democratic quality of a country beyond the point of
democratisation. These studies are conducted by democratic assessments groups and are
further divided into either quantitative or qualitative assessments for measuring the quality of
democracy. Findings, methodologies and perspectives associated with these studies are often
varied in nature, presenting different interpretations on the “quality of democracy”. Of
particular interest for this research is the case-study—Ghana. Being the first African country
to attain independence in 1957, its political trajectory had been marred by failed attempts to
institutionalise democracy. But by the early 1990’s democratic eventually began to take root,
making Ghana one of the best examples of democracy in the West African region.
The aim of this study is to first and foremost, attempt to come to a clear understanding of the
term “quality of democracy”. Can a clear and workable definition of the quality of democracy
be identified? Secondly, is to examine the different methodologies used to measure the
quality of democracy. This is done by looking at how the measurements of the quality of
democracy have been carried out by the various groups, primarily—Freedom House, the
EIUID, the IIAG and the APRM. Thirdly, is to establish the applicability of the “quality of
democracy” measurement to the African context by looking at how measurements have been
applied in the Ghanaian context. The aim is to arrive at specific suggestions on how best to
measure the quality of democracy in Africa by identifying the challenges faced by the current
measures.
