Institutionalization before Liberalization theory tested on Côte d'Ivoire

Abstract: Following the election of 2010, Côte d’Ivoire suffered through “La Crise”, a civil war which lasted until 2011 and came only a few years after the end of the first Ivoirian civil war. In 2015, Côte d’Ivoire held an election without an eruption of violence. This study attempts to explain why using Roland Paris’ Institutionalization Before Liberalization theory, which focuses on the dangers of liberalization, arguing that political liberalization can lead to violence if the country has not gone through an institutionalization process. The purpose is to test the IBL-theory on a new case by conducting the same focused analysis of the country in the years before both elections. This study found that the electoral design had not changed, and therefore could not explain the peaceful outcome of the 2015 election. However, notable changes were discovered regarding the electoral institutions as well as the civil society. This study also examines if other variables, omitted by IBL, can explain the successful elections, and formulates a brief criticism of the theory.