Large Lessons from Small Cases: Façade or Democracy in Kiribati, Vanuatu and São Tomé and Príncipe?

Small states have often been excluded from the study of comparative politics.

It has been argued that their small population size does not warrant their study and that they, due to their smallness, do not even constitute real states. The limited amount of research on the political systems of small states has been quantitative work. This research has shown that states with populations below 500 000, to a remarkable degree, are democracies.

At the same time, recent qualitative work suggests something rather contrary; that these states are only window-dressing as democracies. Hence, we are faced with a research conundrum that invites further inquiry.

The purpose of this project is to analyze how the political systems of Kiribati, Vanuatu and São Tomé and Príncipe function in their everyday practice.

We will i) investigate whether the statistical correlation between smallness and high levels of democratic performance is borne out in political practice, and investigate ii) the factors that explain democratic performance, or the lack thereof, in these states.

To advance knowledge about these issues is not only of relevance for people who reside in these states, but for the democratization literature as a whole.

This project is mainly based on qualitative fieldwork and interviews with politicians as well as journalists in the three states under scrutiny. It will be conducted 2021-2023 by two scholars at 20% and 50% respectively during each of the three years.