Abstract:
This thesis seeks to illustrate the shortcomings of the majoritarian political model in
promoting democratic values and facilitating development as is evident in Jamaica.
Instead, it is hypothesized that a centripetal democratic model that has proportional
representation, a multi-party system and allows for coalition governments, like in Israel,
is better for democracy and development as a whole. The study looks at the
conceptualization of democracy and how electoral engineering affects good governance
and development in small states. The research focuses on the quality of democracy in
Jamaica and Israel by looking at specific variables to determine the extent of good
governance. In the end, Israel acts as a research control in finding a political solution to
the socio-economic and political issues of Jamaica.