State-Building, Institutionalization and Democracy: The Palestinian Experience

Formal democratic procedures such as a separation of powers, a transparent legislative process, an independent judiciary and competitive elections are usually considered a formal institutional manifestation of functioning democratic regimes. However, the experience of several countries demonstrates that informal practices such as clientelism and patronage can impair the positive role of these institutions. Although the Palestinian Authority (PA) is not yet independent and functions under conditions of quasi-occupation, this theoretical avenue forms a suitable point of departure for examining the character of the emerging state structures in Palestine. The article concludes that the pervasiveness of informal institutions encouraged by the dominant role of a strong founding-father has had devastating consequences, not only for the future of democracy in Palestine, but also for the political stability of the Palestinian state.