Substantive Democracy and Inclusive Development in the Sahel: Conditions for a Virtuous Political-Economic Circle

Etienne Fakaba Sissoko ()
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Etienne Fakaba Sissoko: Université des sciences sociales et de gestion de Bamako - USSGB - Université des sciences sociales et de gestion de Bamako, CRAPES MALI - Centre de Recherche et d'Analyses Politiques, Economiques et Sociales du Mali, Faculté des Sciences économiques et de Gestion - USSGB - Université des sciences sociales et de gestion de Bamako

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Abstract: This article re-examines the relationship between substantive democracy and inclusive development in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad. It argues that the Sahelian blockage does not stem from scarcity alone, but from a political configuration marked by militarized budgeting, fiscal opacity, territorial marginalization, and weakened mechanisms of accountability. Using a qualitative comparative strategy and a contrastive dialogue with Botswana, Ghana, Mauritius, and Senegal, the analysis identifies four mechanisms that sustain the vicious circle linking democratic erosion to social underinvestment: crowding-out by security spending, lower spending quality under opacity, peripheral exclusion, and reduced policy learning under civic closure. The article shows that substantive democracy should be treated not as a moral label but as a conditioning mechanism that improves allocative legibility, trust, and the credibility of public action under scarcity.

Keywords: substantive democracy inclusive development political economy Sahel accountability territorial marginalization; substantive democracy; inclusive development; political economy; Sahel; accountability; territorial marginalization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-04-19
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Published in 2026

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