Democracy and the feedback mechanism in Botswana

No country knows what the right policy choices are because we live in a world of uncertainty. One way to improve policy choices is to ensure a good feedback mechanism. With feedback, current policy choices might be altered to ensure a better fit with prevailing circumstances. Botswana seems to be an interesting case study, where the deportation of a well-known academic placed a lid on its history of openness and public debate. This paper explores why a government respected for good management would choose to display such signs of autocracy, and how it is possible within the prevailing government institutions.

N17, N47, O38

Poverty, Botswana, Botswana government, Democracy, Feedback mechanism, Institutions