Measuring the quality of democracy in Ghana : a comparative assessment of studies conducted by Freedom House, the Economic Intelligence Unit, the Ibrahim Index and the African Peer Review Mechanism (between 2005 and 2010)

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.