The Benefits of Democracy
Democracy is an international system of governance based on the participation of citizens in decision-making, and the guarantee of fundamental rights. It is the norm in most of the world, and its success has a powerful impact on global politics, peace and stability.
In general, it is widely accepted that a country must achieve certain conditions for democratic stability, and that these conditions are independent of the degree to which any previous political regime was authoritarian or not. These conditions are often referred to as the “democratic recipe”.
There is broad agreement that a society must first develop favourable civil-society changes and then progress through a phase of procedural democracy before it can be expected to become a genuine functional democracy. It is also widely agreed that the process of democratisation cannot be imposed from outside, and that any attempts to do so have a very low chance of success. This is confirmed by the failure of US-led interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq to produce stable democracies.
It is also widely acknowledged that democracy promotes economic growth. This is supported by numerous studies, including those conducted by economists Daron Acemoglu, Suresh Naidu, Pascual Restrepo and James A Robinson who show that countries that are more democratic grow at a higher rate than countries that are less democratic. This effect is more pronounced in poorer countries.
Another important benefit of democracy is that it reduces the risk of war. Although there were a handful of ambiguous cases in the 19th century when democratising countries went to war with other emerging democracies, there has not been a case of an established democracy fighting another established democracy since then. This is sometimes referred to as the ‘democratic peace’.
Educated citizens are thought to be more likely to support democratic institutions and behaviours. They are more informed about social issues and are more active in public affairs, and they are more demanding of both inclusion and accountability from government. They are also more willing to accept a variety of political ideas and opinions.
Scholars are not in complete agreement on the characteristics of a democratic political culture, but most would agree that it must include a tolerance of diversity, a sense of mutual obligation, a capacity for compromise, a respect for freedom and equality, and the belief that all people have a right to participate in the political process.
Some scholars have argued that there are two competing theories of what causes a society to democratize: one stresses the importance of favourable structural conditions, and the other emphasizes elite choice. Both approaches have benefits and drawbacks, and the fact that a number of different factors contribute to democratization means that it is difficult to construct a model that fully accounts for all the causes of democratic consolidation. However, the evidence suggests that a combination of these factors is most effective.
Democracy is an international system of governance based on the participation of citizens in decision-making, and the guarantee of fundamental rights. It is the norm in most of the world, and its success has a powerful impact on global politics, peace and stability. In general, it is widely accepted that a country must achieve certain conditions for democratic stability, and that these conditions are independent of the degree to which any previous political regime was authoritarian or not. These conditions are often referred to as the “democratic recipe”. There is broad agreement that a society must first develop favourable civil-society changes and then progress through a phase of procedural democracy before it can be expected to become a genuine functional democracy. It is also widely agreed that the process of democratisation cannot be imposed from outside, and that any attempts to do so have a very low chance of success. This is confirmed by the failure of US-led interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq to produce stable democracies. It is also widely acknowledged that democracy promotes economic growth. This is supported by numerous studies, including those conducted by economists Daron Acemoglu, Suresh Naidu, Pascual Restrepo and James A Robinson who show that countries that are more democratic grow at a higher rate than countries that are less democratic. This effect is more pronounced in poorer countries. Another important benefit of democracy is that it reduces the risk of war. Although there were a handful of ambiguous cases in the 19th century when democratising countries went to war with other emerging democracies, there has not been a case of an established democracy fighting another established democracy since then. This is sometimes referred to as the ‘democratic peace’. Educated citizens are thought to be more likely to support democratic institutions and behaviours. They are more informed about social issues and are more active in public affairs, and they are more demanding of both inclusion and accountability from government. They are also more willing to accept a variety of political ideas and opinions. Scholars are not in complete agreement on the characteristics of a democratic political culture, but most would agree that it must include a tolerance of diversity, a sense of mutual obligation, a capacity for compromise, a respect for freedom and equality, and the belief that all people have a right to participate in the political process. Some scholars have argued that there are two competing theories of what causes a society to democratize: one stresses the importance of favourable structural conditions, and the other emphasizes elite choice. Both approaches have benefits and drawbacks, and the fact that a number of different factors contribute to democratization means that it is difficult to construct a model that fully accounts for all the causes of democratic consolidation. However, the evidence suggests that a combination of these factors is most effective.