Flawed Democracy and Development: A Jamaica Case Study takes a critical look at the discourse on democracy and development in Jamaica and analyzes some of the core features and practices that have historically impeded economic growth, created a political culture of mistrust of government, and motivated political apathy among the electorate, especially the youth. The contributors in this book interrogate how flawed democracy is played out in the historical as well as the political and economic institutional set up of Jamaica. The contributors also address how political participation is impacted by the heightened perception of public corruption, the lack of accountability and transparency in government decision making, and the way election campaigns are conducted by the two main political parties: the Jamaica Labour Party (JPL) and the People's National Party (PNP). The book addresses not just the economic and political issues normally associated with flawed democracy discussions but also includes discussion on social and cultural issues, including identity, language, and the cultural influence of geography. The contributors agree that the challenges faced by Jamaica, a small island developing state, are not irreconcilable but they require an engaged electorate and a overhaul of the political system to move the country away from a flawed democracy tag.
Stacey-Ann Wilson is Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus.
"Sociocultural and Political Challenges in a Flawed Democracy: A Jamaica Case Study is a critical intervention into the discussion of democracy in Jamaica. It is required reading for any serious examination of the social and political challenges in a middle-aged democracy beset by the legacies of race/color and class dysfunctions coupled with an inherited political system that engenders lack of consensus building and polarization. This volume is a comprehensive assessment of the realities of democracy as a flawed but necessary political system." --Jermaine McCalpin, New Jersey City University With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 the world experienced an optimistic wave of democratization. A common narrative was that, in democracies across the world, the change would result in the improvement of lives. Wilson's edited volume examines the case of Jamaica. The authors view that political system as a flawed democracy despite an independent judiciary, free press and an apolitical bureaucracy. Popular participation in Jamaica began in 1962. Yet, the authors challenge the standard view by observing a range of problems from the distrust in government and the related reduction in election turnout, the legacy of colonialization, the theory and praxis of a parliamentary system and international events. The collection of essays presents a detailed analysis of the Jamaican system from the framework of a flawed democracy. --Walter Hill, St. Mary's College of Maryland
