Democracy And The State Of Economic Development - 1708 Words

The remarkable progress for democracy is being witnessed for the past two decades. The number of democratic political systems has climbed from 44 to 107 since 1972. Over half of the 187 countries in the world today, 58 percent have adopted democratic government. To start with, when exactly did modern democracy emerge? Political scientist, Samuel Huntington argues today’s democracies emerged in a series of distinct waves of democratization between 1828 and 1991. Meanwhile, one of the most extensive and influential linkages between political systems and social environment is the statistically significant positive relationship flanked by democracy and the state of economic development in classic modernization theory. In other words, the more wealthy a country becomes, the greater the opportunities that its political regime will lead to democracy. This observation was first advanced in 1959 by Lipset, who generated a huge body of research data in the studies of comparative politics. Yet, controversy among the field roots not only from the use of different definitions, but also from variations in methodology to measure the extent of transitions. Therefore, it is necessary to define democracy in order to discuss the related phenomenon accurately. For the purposes of this paper, democracy refers to the extent that political power is evenly distributed in a society with the aim of supplying regular constitutional chances for changing the governing officials in aShow MoreRelatedBest Route for Economic Development for Poor Countries1724 Words   |  7 PagesWhether liberal democracy, illiberal democracy or authoritarian rule is the best route to economic development for low income countries Introduction Democracy and economic development are two concepts that were not related initially, however, with the rise of democracies and the subsequent economic development there is an established correlation between the two concepts. The question that this paper will seek to address is â€Å"which is the best regime for economic development†. In responding tothisRead MoreEssay about Democracy1421 Words   |  6 PagesLike a living organism, democracy must be born into a time where the parents, circumstances, are right to understand the potential of such a child, democracy, and the soil, society, may be described as the type of state that is ready to accept and nurture that child. Metaphors aside, democracy has been noted to provide a better opportunity for human development. Democracy is also commonly defined as a political system that is associated with free and fair elections. A democratic regime simply refersRead MoreEssay Analysis Of Democracy As A Universal Value By Amartya Sen15 13 Words   |  7 PagesIn his article, Democracy as a Universal Value, Amartya Sen asserts that democracy is a universal value. In order to develop his argument Sen needs to state his definition of democracy and define what he means by universal value. In the course of Sens argument he gives his view of the relationship between democracy and the economy. He then defends his view of democracy as a universal value against a main argument that deals with cultural differences between regions. Amartya Sen uses a maximumRead MoreAnalysis of Democracy as a Universal Value by Amartya Sen Essay example1470 Words   |  6 PagesIn his article, Democracy as a Universal Value, Amartya Sen asserts that democracy is a universal value. In order to develop his argument Sen needs to state his definition of democracy and define what he means by universal value. In the course of Sens argument he gives his view of the relationship between democracy and the economy. He then defends his view of democracy as a universal value against a main argument that deals with cultural differences between regions. Amartya Sen uses a maximumRead MoreDemocracy : The Causes Of Capitalism And Democracy1167 Words   |  5 PagesThe question of whether democracies create capitalism, or the other way around, I think is too simple and ignores the circumstances in which both are initially created. Historically, it was changes in the economic system and in structures of society, without appropriate simultaneous shifts in the government structure, that created enough tension within societies to warrant a complete reconstruction of governmental institutions. I tend to think that democracy does not have the potential to reallyRead MoreExplanation For Third Wave African Democracy After The Cold War1736 Words   |  7 Pages‘Third Wave’ African Democracy After the Cold War The end of the Cold War marked a turning point for democracy promotion in Africa. As if overnight, somewhere between nine and 18 African states claimed to be democracies (depending on which definition of democracy one accepts) in only a span of six years (Diamond 1997, 2). This seemed unusual because, prior to this period, it seemed as though authoritarian regimes were a permanent fixture in African states, and Western donor states were perfectly happyRead MoreThe Role Of Liberal Values At The International Level1617 Words   |  7 Pagespower and the example of its development could have considerable ideological influence upon other countries. China’s economic rising power has deflected international criticism of its records of democratization and human rights. Human rights issues have indeed been given less importance during high level official visits. Today, the U.S. president seldom directly demands the release of Chinese political and religious dissidents. Under such circumstance, the United States and China are competing directlyRead MoreEssay on The Raise of the West1226 Words   |  5 Pagespast two to three hundred years has coincided with the rise in the popularity of democratic governments in the west, such as the US and France. This can be seen as evidence showing that democracy stimulates economic growth since democratisation often precedes growth. Others may argue that the reverse is true and economic growth is the driving forces behind democratization in the west. For example, the French revolution was partly caused by the rise of the middle class â€Å"Bourgeoisie† in the 18th centuryRead More Struggles and Setbacks of Developing Democracies in Latin American Countries 1477 Words   |  6 Pagesunderstand why many Latin American countries such as Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, and Bolivia have continued to remain oppressed throughout history and stand on a slippery slope towards democratic reform of their national governments. The impeded development of democracy in these countries is much derived from Spanish empirical forms, reigning from the colonial era in which Spanish conquistadores implemented the first forms of government in Latin America based off of the authoritative structure of power thatRead MoreModernization Theory Of India s Democracy1722 Words   |  7 Pagessupport their emergence of democracy. The idea that economic development will lead to democratization and democratic consolidation generally holds for most cases. More often than not, increasing economic development increases the probability that any given society will have democratic politics. Although this theory is widely spread it does not seem to account for all cases, such as India. Due to the large population of India, the defying factors against modernization theory are not easily overlooked