Abstract
Between 1960 and 1990, Côte d'Ivoire was regarded as a model of state stability and state efficiency. But in 2002 the Ivorian State completely collapsed. At the same time the level of democracy in Côte d'Ivoire went up between 1990 and 2002, leading the country from a paternalistic dictatorship to a liberal democracy . Those two variables, state stability and the level of democracy, seem to have been negatively correlated. By conducting a case study on Côte d'Ivoire between 1990 and 2002, I will try to assess the extent to which democracy has been responsible of the failure of the Ivorian state. More precisely I will look at the process of democratization that took place, focusing on the political debate and of different democratic policies implemented during that time, their consequences on the stability of the state.
