Democracies and Sustainable Development
Democracy is a political system in which citizens have the opportunity to decide on laws and policies in their societies. It may involve people voting on a specific issue in a direct referendum or it may involve the process of deliberation and coalition building leading up to a vote by a select group, such as an electoral college or parliament. Democracies are varied across the globe and no two are exactly alike. There are presidential democracies and parliamentary democracies, there are systems that use proportional representation and others that do not, there are monarchies that are also democracies, and so on.
It has long been argued that democracies are superior to other forms of government because they best exploit the underlying cognitive diversity in groups, which enables them to solve collective problems more effectively. This is known as the epistemic justification for democracy (as advocated by Aristotle in Politics, Book II, Chapter 11).
More recently, some economists have argued that well-functioning democratic institutions are associated with economic growth. This is based on the theory that economic freedom and democracy are linked through the virtuous circle: more freedom leads to more economic growth, which in turn increases the number of democratic institutions.
Moreover, in 2015, world leaders committed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to achieve a democratic and resilient society as one of the main goals of the sustainable development process. This agenda included a commitment to strengthen democratic institutions at all levels, including global governance, local and regional governments, and civil society organizations.
However, there is a growing body of evidence that the quality of democracy is declining around the world. Surveys show that most people are dissatisfied with the way their societies are governed and with how democracy is working in their own countries. Many people have become convinced that the global economy is being undermined by democratic institutions, which they feel are incapable of addressing issues such as corruption and inequality.
Despite these challenges, it is important to note that there are some promising developments in democracy measurement and research. For example, factor analysis can be used to identify the dimensions of democracy that are most strongly related to individual-level attitudes, and thus to better understand how people conceptualize it. Further, researchers are now experimenting with using more elicitive questions to assess people’s views on democracy. Although this method is more costly, it may offer greater insight into the complex dynamics of democracy.
Democracy is a political system in which citizens have the opportunity to decide on laws and policies in their societies. It may involve people voting on a specific issue in a direct referendum or it may involve the process of deliberation and coalition building leading up to a vote by a select group, such as an electoral college or parliament. Democracies are varied across the globe and no two are exactly alike. There are presidential democracies and parliamentary democracies, there are systems that use proportional representation and others that do not, there are monarchies that are also democracies, and so on. It has long been argued that democracies are superior to other forms of government because they best exploit the underlying cognitive diversity in groups, which enables them to solve collective problems more effectively. This is known as the epistemic justification for democracy (as advocated by Aristotle in Politics, Book II, Chapter 11). More recently, some economists have argued that well-functioning democratic institutions are associated with economic growth. This is based on the theory that economic freedom and democracy are linked through the virtuous circle: more freedom leads to more economic growth, which in turn increases the number of democratic institutions. Moreover, in 2015, world leaders committed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to achieve a democratic and resilient society as one of the main goals of the sustainable development process. This agenda included a commitment to strengthen democratic institutions at all levels, including global governance, local and regional governments, and civil society organizations. However, there is a growing body of evidence that the quality of democracy is declining around the world. Surveys show that most people are dissatisfied with the way their societies are governed and with how democracy is working in their own countries. Many people have become convinced that the global economy is being undermined by democratic institutions, which they feel are incapable of addressing issues such as corruption and inequality. Despite these challenges, it is important to note that there are some promising developments in democracy measurement and research. For example, factor analysis can be used to identify the dimensions of democracy that are most strongly related to individual-level attitudes, and thus to better understand how people conceptualize it. Further, researchers are now experimenting with using more elicitive questions to assess people’s views on democracy. Although this method is more costly, it may offer greater insight into the complex dynamics of democracy.