The UN Human Developing Report 2005 states that Kenya is one of the world's developing countries. The Human Developing Index published in this report specifies that Kenya has a low human development and thus its rank is 154 of 175 UN member states. This raises the question if the government of Kenya has implemented action to improve its development status and what sort of actions this has been. So, first, the status of development in a country must be assessed. After analyzing the data, concrete measures can be implemented. Berg-Schlosser describes in his abstract a bright range of indicators that exist for assessing development processes in a country. He points out that there is an urgent need for indicators which are used as benchmarks in international relations or for decisions for development by the IMF, World Bank and others. Generally, he emphasizes that the interpretation of the indicators must be done carefully. Often there are problems with the proper conceptualization and the operationalization of certain notions. Problems and limitations of such data analysis still remain. After a short introduction in chapter 2 about the important facts of Kenya, this essay tries to figure out in chapter 3 which indicators of democratization and good governance exist and how they asset the Kenyan efforts on these topics in general. The data is visualized in time graphics and a short description of the main aspects is given. Furthermore, chapter 4 describes the current state of development in Kenya regarding the most important key factors.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 About Kenya – Data, Facts, History
3 Indicators of Democratization and Good Governance in Kenya
3.1 Indicators of Democratization – Empirical Assessment for Kenya
3.1.1 Freedom House Indices
3.1.2 Vanhanen´s Index of Democracy
3.1.3 Jaggers/Gurr Authority Trends
3.1.4 World Bank Index “Voice and Accountability”
3.1.5 Political Terror Scale Assessing Gross Human Rights Violations
3.2 Indicators of Good Governance – Empirical Assessment for Kenya
3.2.1 World Bank Indices of “Good Governance”
3.2.2 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index
3.2.3 Transparency International Kenya -- Bribery Index
3.2.4 Human Development Index
3.2.5 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per Capita
4 The Current Status of Development in Kenya
5 Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This academic paper examines Kenya's progress regarding democratization and good governance by analyzing various empirical indicators to assess whether recent government actions have successfully improved the country's development status.
- Assessment of historical and political data in Kenya
- Empirical analysis of democratization indicators (Freedom House, Vanhanen, Jaggers/Gurr, World Bank)
- Evaluation of good governance markers including corruption and transparency
- Analysis of human development trends and economic performance
- Review of contemporary reform efforts and challenges since the 2002 elections
Excerpt from the Book
3.1.1 Freedom House Indices
The Freedom House indices are being published every year since 1972. There are two indices covering important dimensions of democratic systems. The index of political rights includes competitive, fair and free elections. The index of civil liberties concerns freedom of information, organization, religion, the absence of arbitrary repressive measures by the state and others. The scores of these indices lie on a scale of 1 to 7 whereas 1 is being the best value.
The values from 1972 to 2004 for Kenya vary considerably. Starting in 1972 with a value of 5 in political rights and a value of 4 in civil liberties, the indices achieved there worst value in 1995 and 1996 where political rights scored 7 and civil liberties 6. The following years the indices showed a constant scale of 6 (political rights) and 5 (civil liberties). In 2002 the scores declined slowly to 4 and in 2003 and 2004 they reached their best values ever with 3. As Freedom House assesses a positive democratization at a score of 2.5 or higher, Kenya belongs obviously to the developing countries needing support in improving their democracy. Eventually, the way of improving democracy in Kenya seems to be the right way.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter introduces Kenya as a developing country and outlines the research objective to assess its democratization and governance status using various empirical indicators.
2 About Kenya – Data, Facts, History: This section provides a geographical and historical overview of Kenya, including its colonial past and the evolution of its political system toward a multiparty democracy.
3 Indicators of Democratization and Good Governance in Kenya: This chapter provides a comprehensive empirical assessment of Kenya's political system using various global indices to measure democratic quality and governance effectiveness.
3.1 Indicators of Democratization – Empirical Assessment for Kenya: This section evaluates democratization trends using specific indices like Freedom House, Vanhanen, and Jaggers/Gurr, alongside World Bank and Human Rights data.
3.1.1 Freedom House Indices: This part analyzes Kenya’s political rights and civil liberties performance on a scale from 1 to 7 since 1972.
3.1.2 Vanhanen´s Index of Democracy: This section uses competitiveness of elections and participation levels to calculate Kenya's index of democracy.
3.1.3 Jaggers/Gurr Authority Trends: This part discusses the Polity IV dataset and regime transitions, specifically focusing on Kenya’s shift toward a more democratic regime in 2002.
3.1.4 World Bank Index “Voice and Accountability”: This section interprets the World Bank's aggregate score for political and civil rights in Kenya between 1996 and 2004.
3.1.5 Political Terror Scale Assessing Gross Human Rights Violations: This part assesses the levels of state violence and human rights abuses in Kenya using reports from Amnesty International and the US State Department.
3.2 Indicators of Good Governance – Empirical Assessment for Kenya: This section expands the analysis beyond political systems to the quality of governance and corruption control.
3.2.1 World Bank Indices of “Good Governance”: This part interprets six clusters of governance indicators, such as rule of law and control of corruption.
3.2.2 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index: This section evaluates the overall extent of corruption in Kenya's public and political sectors.
3.2.3 Transparency International Kenya -- Bribery Index: This part details the magnitude and frequency of bribery in various public and private institutions in Kenya.
3.2.4 Human Development Index: This section analyzes Kenya’s performance regarding life expectancy, education, and standard of living.
3.2.5 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per Capita: This part examines economic development indicators to determine Kenya's living standard in comparison to other least developed countries.
4 The Current Status of Development in Kenya: This chapter synthesizes the findings, highlighting both positive developments and ongoing negative challenges such as high corruption and human rights issues.
5 Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes the findings, noting that while the 2002 elections marked a positive turning point, significant progress is still hindered by governance failures.
Keywords
Kenya, Democratization, Good Governance, Human Rights, Corruption, Transparency International, Freedom House, World Bank, Economic Development, Political Accountability, GDP, Human Development Index, Regime Change, Democracy, Bribery Index.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper evaluates Kenya's democratic progress and the quality of its governance by analyzing empirical indicators and government actions since the country's independence.
Which thematic fields are at the center of the analysis?
The study focuses on the intersection of political development, institutional accountability, economic indicators, human rights, and the prevalence of corruption.
What is the primary objective of this work?
The objective is to determine how Kenya’s political and economic status has evolved and to assess the impact of recent policy reforms, particularly following the 2002 presidential transition.
Which scientific methods are utilized?
The author uses a comparative longitudinal approach, analyzing established global datasets and indices—such as Freedom House, Polity IV, and the Human Development Index—to visualize trends in Kenya's performance.
What is covered in the main section of the paper?
The main section contains a detailed empirical breakdown of specific democratization and governance indices, including bribery levels, political terror scales, and economic growth metrics.
How can the key characteristics of this study be described?
The study is characterized by a data-driven approach to political science, focusing on the empirical measurement of democratic quality and the critical evaluation of institutional reform in a developing African context.
How did the 2002 election influence the findings of the study?
The 2002 election is identified as a critical regime change that led to measurable improvements in indices like "voice and accountability," although the author notes that these improvements face ongoing challenges.
What role does corruption play in the evaluation of Kenya's development?
Corruption is identified as a significant barrier to development, with the author highlighting it as a major factor that has led international donors to delay loans and withheld necessary economic support.
What is the author's conclusion regarding the current state of press freedom?
The author views recent government-led raids on the media as a concerning development that contradicts democratic progress, though public reaction provides a sign of hope for civil society.
- Quote paper
- Dipl. Betriebswirtin Claudia Draemann (Author), 2006, Kenya and its efforts on democratization and good governance, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/84896
