Democracy Human Rights and Development: a Case Study of Egypt

Abstract

Democracy and human rights over the years have become essential in many countries around the world due to their impacts on development. The study was focused on the role of democracy and human rights in development. The broad objective of this study was to investigate the role of democratic governance and human rights in development in Egypt. The study was guided by the normative democratic theory which states that all citizens ought to have the broadest set of political rights and liberties possible, compatible with the extension of equal rights to all. The study relied on qualitative methods of data collection. Survey research methods (personal interviews and questionnaires) were limited because of challenges related to access, and time. Secondary data therefore formed the core data collection. The study found out that human rights and democracy contribute to the development in Egypt because the crisis started from the first revolution against Hosni Mubarak and then to the recent one that ousted Mohammed Morsi, there have been negative impacts on the Egyptian economy. There has been increased rates of unemployment, decline in the tourism sector which has led to the decline in the country’s foreign exchange reserves. In addition, foreign investment which depends on prevailing peace, security and political stability has been adversely affected. Had there been democracy and respect to human rights in Egypt, probably this would not be happening. The study hypotheses have been proven in that the findings indicate that the current crisis has had negative effects on the economic development of Egypt. The country has also been recently suspended from the African Union until it resolves this crisis.