Defending Democratic Norms: International Actors and the Politics of Electoral Misconduct

Although nearly every country in the world today holds multiparty elections, these contests are often blatantly unfair. For governments, electoral misconduct is a tempting but also a risky practice, because it represents a violation of Although nearly every country in the world today holds multiparty elections, these contests are often blatantly unfair. For governments, electoral misconduct is a tempting but also a risky practice, because it represents a violation of international standards for free and fair elections. In Defending Democratic Norms, Daniela Donno examines how international actors respond to these norm violations. Which governments are punished for manipulating elections? Does international norm enforcement make a difference? Donno shows that although enforcement is selective and relatively rare, when international actors do employ tools of conditionality, diplomacy, mediation and shaming in response to electoral misconduct, they can have transformative effects on both the quality and outcome of elections. Specifically, enforcement works by empowering the domestic opposition and increasing the government's incentives to reform institutions of electoral management and oversight. These effects depend, however, on the presence of a viable opposition movement, as well as on the strength and credibility of the enforcement effort itself. The book shows that regional international organizations possess unique sources of leverage and legitimacy that make them the most consistently effective norm defenders, even compared to more materially powerful actors like the United States. Drawing on an original dataset from almost 700 elections and incorporating case studies from the Dominican Republic, Serbia, Armenia, Kenya and Cambodia, Defending Democratic Norms is a bold new theory of international norm enforcement that demonstrates the importance of active international intervention in domestic politics.

About the Author :
Daniela Donno is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh.

Review :
"Defending Democratic Norms is an important contribution examining how international norms of democratic governance shape national elections. The work is optimistic about these norms, yet in this original, exhaustively researched, and well-written book Donno reminds us that the path to free and fair elections can be rocky. Donno carefully outlines the conditions under which international actors monitor elections, punish misbehavior, and, in the process, help preserve democracy. This book adds important knowledge to the fields of international relations and comparative politics."--Jon Pevehouse, Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison "Donno offers an ambitious and compelling analysis of a crucial question in democracy promotion: whether international commitments to democracy are actually enforced. Rather than assuming all democracy promotion is weak or inconsistent, this book offers a more nuanced and global picture, demonstrating when enforcement of international democratic norms is most likely to work, and addressing the important question of when and how enforcement can further democratization."--Susan D. Hyde, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, Yale University "Daniela Donno's groundbreaking and carefully researched new book provides evidence that the international community sometimes does take steps to enforce democratic norms and that these steps can be effective in making elections more free and fair. Donno operates at the cutting edge between comparative politics and international relations, showing how we need to take both external and internal factors into account if we are to understand why some democratization projects fail or succeed. The book should be required reading for anyone interested in evidence-based democratization efforts."--Erik Voeten, Peter F. Krogh Associate Professor of Geopolitics and Justice in World Affairs, Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service