Roopnarine, Gurudat.

This thesis compares the extent of democratization in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. To compare the degree of democracy, I use four indicators: (1) fair and competitive elections; (2) interest groups' access to policy making; (3) policy responsiveness to social needs; and (4) human rights. To explain any differences in the degree of democratization between these two countries, I examine four independent variables: (1) political experiences in colonial societies and during independence from British rule; (2) standard of education; (3) economic development; and (4) the type of political economy. After testing these variables, I found that Trinidad has moved faster in establishing democracy than Guyana because of differences in ethnic conflict at independence, type of political economy, and overall wealth.