WHAT IS POLITICAL INSTABILITY? - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

Political instability can be defined in at least three different ways. A first approach would be to define it as the propensity for a change of regime or government. A second approach would be on the incidence of violence or political revolt on a society, such as demonstrations, murders, etc.

A third point of view would focus on the instability of policies, beyond the instability in the regimes. For example, the degree to which fundamental policies, for example property rights, are subject to frequent change.

According to Max Weber's political theories, political stability depends on the legitimate use that governments make of public force. Political instability is closely associated with the concept of a failed state, representing volatility in electoral politics.

If a government cannot ensure that it provides basic services to its population, such as security and the possibility of obtaining food and livelihood, it loses the power to apply the law and political instability arises.

When a political institution enacts a new law, businesses need to consider the impact it will have on their operations. In some instances, companies will need to create new strategies or processes to comply with the initiatives imposed through legislation.

Causes of political instability

Political instability can be caused by a number of factors, including conflicts between rival political parties, insufficient economic resources, or simple geographic proximity to nations in conflict.

It also occurs when a country has sudden change. These sudden changes can leave the population in doubt about the situation in their country, which can lead to riots. Currently most of the politically unstable nations are located in Africa and the Middle East.

These nations share some characteristics; in general, their populations feel that their rights are restricted and are unhappy with their circumstances. The leadership of these nations may be responsible for political instability when they hold on to power for too long despite opposition.

Indicators

Just as there are different definitions for political instability, there are different indicators created to measure the level of it in different countries. Some of these indicators have been developed primarily for academic purposes, such as the World Bank's governance indicators.

There are some other indicators that have been created to inform international investors about political risks that investing in certain countries implies. Some companies and institutions offer these types of indicators in a professional way.

The indices can be classified mainly into two categories, according to how they were developed. On the one hand, there are objective indexes, which traditionally collect data on the incidence of certain phenomena (social demonstrations, revolutions, murders, and others).

On the other hand, there are perception indices, which use the opinions of experts or surveys to carry out evaluations and obtain conclusions about the state of political instability in a country.

Use of indices in academia

Indices of political instability are used in many empirical studies to compare countries. These studies are generally of two types. In the first type, political instability is the dependent variable, whose variation is explained by other variables. These types of studies are traditionally carried out in the discipline of political science.

In these types of studies, researchers seek to establish links between inequity and political instability. Some of the first analyzes of this type that were carried out used indices of political violence as the dependent variable.

In other types of studies, political instability is an independent variable. This type of analysis is common in the field of economics, where political instability is related to certain dependent variables such as economic growth or investment.

Sources of political instability today

In various parts of the world there is currently a climate of political instability, caused by various factors. Escalating conflicts, terrorism and uprisings against authoritarian regimes in the Middle East and Africa are a source of political instability.

Based on findings reported in the latest edition of the Maplecoft Political Risk Atlas, which uses 52 indicators to help companies monitor political conflicts that can affect the business climate in 197 countries, some red flags stand out.

Since 2010, Syria is one of the countries that has deteriorated the most in terms of its political stability. Today it ranks second, only surpassed by Somalia. Afghanistan, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo round out the top five places.

Political instability increases as the growth gap between political freedoms and social benefits, such as education and internet access for the young population, grows.

In 2010, before the so-called Arab Spring, Libya, Tunisia, Iran, Syria and Egypt were some of the countries with the largest gap between political freedoms and social benefits.

Some African countries have experienced the greatest increase in the risk of political violence, including terrorism, bad governance, and regimes vulnerable to popular uprisings. Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan are classified in the category of “extreme risk”. Meanwhile, Kenya and Ethiopia are considered “high risk”.

Years after the Arab Spring, more than 60% of the countries of the Middle East and North Africa have suffered a considerable increase in political violence, showing the long-term political risks associated with changes of power based on force..

In the West, the impact of the global financial crisis continues to manifest itself in high levels of unemployment. This phenomenon, combined with government austerity measures, has contributed to the growth of inequality and the decline in living standards.

The political landscape in Europe and the United States has become increasingly fragmented and polarized as populist parties have gained traction in reaction to growing voter dissatisfaction with traditional political parties and their involvement in these phenomena.

References

1. Political Instability. Taken from encyclopedia.com.
2. What is the definition of political stability? Taken from reference.com.
3. Political instability and global growth. Taken from nber.org.
4. Political instability in the rise. Taken from edition.cnn.com.