STATE AND ETHNICITY IN BOTSWANA AND MAURITIUS - A DEMOCRATIC ROUTE TODEVELOPMENT

Botswana and Mauritius stand virtually alone among developing countrie s in having achieved rates of economic development rivalling those of the East Asian NICs, while maintaining democratic institutions, We com pare their experiences with the goal of identifying aspects of a democ ratic route to development that avoids the inherent authoritarianism o f the East Asian model. Our study is based upon Hyden's [1992] governa nce model, but we suggest two important modifications to that model. A strong state seems essential to achieving economic development, and w e identify means of reducing the tendency for such states to lose acco untability. Secondly, the experience of these two countries suggests w ays in which the ethnic and tribal divisions that are so common in LDC s can be recognised by the state so that social pluralism makes a posi tive contribution to effective and democratic governance.