Islands of democracy

Abstract

From a comparative political perspective, island jurisdictions stand out as having exceptionally democratic regimes in comparison with mainland or continental polities. Irrespective of their geographical location, levels of economic development or constitutional status (sovereign or nonsovereign), with only a few exceptions, island jurisdictions around the world have democratic political institutions. While some scholars have explained this relationship on the basis of colonial history, international political dynamics or the geographical isolation and remoteness that stem from being an island, others have argued that the smallness of islands explains the correlation, meaning that size is actually the causal factor that explains the prevalence of democratic governance. In this paper, an original account of the relationship between islandness and democracy is provided, foregrounding the informal political dynamics that can be observed in island territories around the world. To do this, the specific nature, dynamics and varieties of democratic governance in island jurisdictions are examined. Most island nations have adopted the political‐institutional framework of former colonial powers or metropolitan states, and these have only rarely been modified to suit the (small) island context. Yet due to the greater social intimacy and interconnectedness of island societies, these formal institutional frameworks are likely to be complemented or overshadowed by a set of powerful informal political dynamics, which means that a large part of the political process is conducted outside of the official political channels. These informal politics have mixed effects on the quality of democratic governance, as face‐to‐face relations offer both opportunities and drawbacks for democratic transparency and accountability. The last analytical section of the paper examines the interaction between formal institutional structures and the prevalent informal political dynamics in island territories, and argues that this interplay perhaps provides the best explanation for the survival of democratic institutions in island territories.

Micro media systems

“…Secondly, the majority of microstates and jurisdictions are either dependencies or former dependencies of larger states that have gained independence in the 20th century. The political institutions in former colonies are often preserved or carbon copied from their former colonizing states—not always with adaptation to the small and local context (Sutton, 2007; Veenendaal, 2018: 34). This colonial legacy has often put its mark on the media system (Rodny-Gumede, 2020).…”

African exceptions: democratic development in small island states

“…While the idea that democratisation can be facilitated by imitation is often advanced to explain the relative strength of liberal institutions in Europe (Teorell 2010), this logic can be reversed in Africa; authoritarian neighbours make consolidating democracy more difficult. As a result, the insulation of sea borders can help explain diversion from continental trends (Veenendaal 2020).…”

A Political Economy and Voicing Model of the Institutional Impact of Brain Drain, Human Capital, Inequality and Country Size

“…The greater strength of weak ties in SMS than in larger states is briefly described in the first paragraph of Section 1 above. As mentioned, Veenendaal (2020) states that SMS natives have "… greater social intimacy and interconnectedness." Prior support is therefore likely to be stronger for prospective migrants in the case of migration from SMS than from larger countries.…”