ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book presents the variety of perspectives, themes and issues that holds out a mirror to the very qualities of pluralism, diversity and respect for difference that, together with a commitment to inclusiveness, constitute hallmarks of most theories of democracy. It provides the particularities within a common concern for institutional structures and their performance, ranging over the representation of women, electoral systems and constitutions (in Africa) and presidentialism (in Latin America). The book details a variety of types of social grouping, including especially social movements, but not necessarily political parties, as being in the vanguard pressing for change. The rapid accumulation of political studies of democratization in the 1990s came about as a result of political developments on the ground. And for activists, there is even the possibility of sponsoring more fruitful exchanges over effective strategies for achieving sought-after political change.
