ABSTRACT
For many countries trying to establish democracy, the process of creating institutions that produce stability and ultimately democratic consolidation may be an iterative one. That is, institutions may be tried but if those institutions fail to help create circumstances that will favour consolidation, new institutions may be tried in the next democratic transition (or even during an uninterrupted transition period). In extreme cases, the democratic experiment may end in civil war or military dictatorship, as has been the case in our three case studies. This chapter examines prior experience with democracy in each of the three countries, and contends that while these experiences may have something to do with (a) the types of institutions that are developed later and (b) the behaviour of political elites within those institutions, the evidence from the three cases indicates that prior experience with democracy alone may not be a crucial factor guaranteeing democratic consolidation.
