The central questions addressed in this bulletin concern the fate of democracy, especially as seen
by Africans themselves. Do they say they want democracy, a preference that we call the popular
demand for democracy? And do they think they are getting it, that is, do they perceive that their
leaders are providing a supply of democracy? Moreover, if there is evidence of democratic
development in Africa, to what extent are democratic regimes established, stable, or
consolidated? We examine whether or not various countries are approaching a stable equilibrium
between demand and supply that is, whether they are consolidating and if so, whether they are
doing so as democracies at high levels of both demand and supply, as autocracies at low levels of
both, or as hybrid regimes at intermediate levels.