The Institutional Design of Democracy

In this paper, I argue that institution building is essential for the success of the democratic transition and consolidation. Upon setting out to establish a democratic regime, there are various constitutional designs available. Although all appear equally suitable for building a stable democracy, I demonstrate that particular traits of certain political systems can allow political actors to weaken the quality of democracy in that state, if not do away with it all together. As such, I have observed the main differences between presidential, parliamentary and mixed systems, and I have also examined the impact of various electoral rules on the configuration of the political arena. The conclusion shows that parliamentary regimes with proportional electoral systems have the strongest democratic features.