Conclusion: Toward Complex Realist Institutionalism

Abstract

This study has ‘tested’ the proposition that democratic consolidation depends on the institutionalization of democratic power, the development of a system of institutional checks and balances at three levels: the state, the political arena, and civil society. The more institutionalized organizations become, the more consolidated democracy gets. Democratic regimes become deconsolidated if institutions weaken. Institutional growth (or its lack) further depends on both non-material (cultural, ideological, and historical) and material (economic and political) factors. As the intervening variable, democracy assistance becomes effective in helping consolidate democratic regimes only if donors prove capable of strengthening institutions, ensuring equitable economic development, and helping to dehegemonize personal power.