Search -
Confronting the Weakest Link: Aiding Political Parties in New Democracies (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)
Confronting the Weakest Link Aiding Political Parties in New Democracies - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Author:Thomas Carothers Political parties are the weakest link in many democratic transitions around the world--frequently beset with persistent problems of self-interest, corruption, ideological incoherence, and narrow electoralism. A large and ever-growing number of U.S., European, and multilateral assistance programs seek to help parties become effective prode... more »mocratic actors. But given the depth of the problems, is success possible? Confronting the Weakest Link is a pathbreaking study of international aid for political parties. Beginning with a penetrating analysis of party shortcomings in developing and postcommunist countries, Thomas Carothers draws on extensive field research to diagnose deficiencies in party aid, assess its overall impact, and offer practical ideas for doing better. This broad ranging analysis, which spans Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, sheds invaluable light on a major element of the contemporary challenge of democracy-building, a subject now occupying center stage in the international policy arena.« less