The Role of Economic Conditions in Shaping Citizens' Satisfaction with Government in Tunisia's Fragile Democracy: An Expectancy-Disconfirmation Analysis

The idea that citizens are satisfied with the government as long as its performance exceeds expectations has been extensively used to explain satisfaction with governments in well-established democracies. Less attention has been paid to the role of expectations in determining citizens' satisfaction in fragile states, although dissatisfaction with government has been theorized as a cause of upheaval. Likewise, less attention is paid to the role of citizens' perception of economic conditions in determining satisfaction with government. This study tests the role of expectations of improving economic conditions in explaining low satisfaction with the government in Tunisia, which embarked on a fragile transition to democracy in 2011. Findings suggest that citizens' evaluation of Tunisia's economic performance could explain the lack of satisfaction with the government after the uprising of 2011.