Blogpost / Publication: Effect of Semi-presidentialism on Democratic Stability in Haiti (miche jean, 16 Aug 2010)

This paper examines the impact of semi-presidentialism on democratic stability in Haiti. In order to explain this relationship, I draw on a broader question, which is whether system of government affects democratic stability in general as well as in Haiti. While the answer to this question remains still controversial among political science scholars, in the case of Haiti, available data have shown an important relationship between the two variables.
In addition to examining the impact of system of government on democratic stability in Haiti, this paper presents a direct rebuttal to Sophia Moestrup’s (2007) finding which concludes that semi-presidentialism is not suitable for promoting democratic stability in the Americas, by corollary Haiti. I challenge Moestrup’s (2007) finding based on (1) its limited case studies for semi-presidentialism in the Americas and (2) Moestrup’s (2007) insufficient knowledge of the political history and culture of Haiti.