political stability might causeaffluence and economic growth, and that high
rates of growth and stability have gone together in some countries. Problems
with the concept of ‘political stability’ itself are addressed: its normative
content, the question of whether the analysis is concerned with stable gov-
ernment whatever the type of regime or just stable democraticgovernment,
and the lack of a satisfactory operational definition of ‘instability’.
Chapter 11 covers theories of democratic transition and consolidation,
and the contribution of economic and political factors to stable democracy:
national affluence, with its implications for equality and class development;
the political culture and the problem of the direction of causality; civil soci-
ety as a counter-balance to the power of the state; the balance of power
within democracies; and the importance of institutional development to
democratic consolidation.
The concluding chapter considers the prospects for Third World democ-
racy in the light of the theories of political change discussed in the previous
chapters, and examines the argument that development and democracy
might not be compatible, especially in view of the success which some
authoritarian states have had in developing their societies economically and
socially. The weight of evidence suggests that a democratic developmental
state should be able to secure economic progress, as well as providing polit-
ical benefits in terms of political rights, freedoms and participation.
I owe a debt of gratitude to a large number of people for insights into
Third World political development, especially Monojit Chatterjee, Paul
Collins, Richard Dunphy, Des Gasper, Edward Horesh, Philip Mawhood,
Oliver Morrissey, David Murray, Dele Olowu, Jeffrey Stanyer, Ole
Therkildsen, Neil Webster and Geof Wood. I am happy to acknowledge that
debt here. I should also like to thank Keith Povey and Steven Kennedy for
their patience and meticulous editorial work. The librarians of the
University of Exeter were also unfailingly helpful. What I have done with
the ideas of the theorists reviewed here remains my responsibility alone.
Exeter B. C. SMITH
Every effort has been made to contact all copyright-holders, but if any have
been inadvertently omitted the publishers will be pleased to make the neces-
sary arrangement at the earliest opportunity.
Preface xi