...this paper, we will look into the relationship between democracy and economic development. The paper opens with a brief look into the importance of economic development, and then looks into democracy and its elements and how they factor into the growth of the economy, with some hypotheses from specialists of the field. Cases of economic growth in non-democratic countries are also delved into, namely the case of China. There the paper analyzes what results in economic growth in the absence of democracy. In the end we come to a conclusion on the matter, whether or not democracy is a necessity for economic growth. Economic development is one of the core priorities of any given state, regardless of regime or position in the international...
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...Democracy and Development in India: A Comparative Perspective By Pranab Bardhan University of California at Berkeley To most theorists of democracy in the West, India is an embarrassing anomaly and hence largely avoided. By most theoretical stipulations India should not have survived as a democracy: it’s too poor its citizens largely rural and uneducated its civic institutions rather weak. It is a paradox even for those who believe in a positive relationship between economic equality or social homogeneity and democracy. India’s wealth inequality (say, in land distribution, and even more in education or human capital) is one of the highest in the world. Indian society is also one of the most heterogeneous in the world (in terms of ethnicity, language, caste and religion), and social inequality, a legacy of the caste system, is considerable. Yet this country, with the world’s largest electorate (it is now larger than the electorate in North America, Western Europe, and Japan combined), keeps lumbering on decade after decade as a ramshackle, yet remarkably resilient, democratic polity. Of course, depending on the defining features of democracy the depth of Indian democracy may be rather limited. It is useful to keep a distinction between three general aspects of democracy: (a) some basic minimum civil and political rights enjoyed by citizens, (b) some procedures of accountability in day-to-day administration under some overarching constitutional rules of the game, (c) periodic...
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...Set of Reflections on Filipino Culture, Nationalism, Economic Development, and Philippine Politics and Democracy By: Virgilio Angelo G. Gener A Review and an Overview – the Introduction As I begin to think on what I will write on my reflections on the significant lessons and insights that I have distilled in my readings for the past two months, I remember that American journalist and essayist Henry Louis “H.L.” Mencken once opined that: “A Historian by his nature, is an unsuccessful novelist.” If there is a commonality that I have noticed in the methodology of writing of the scholarly articles that I have read, it is the fact that majority of them was written in a narrative and historical standpoint. Thus, when I was brainstorming prior to the completion and formal writing of this essay, I deemed it necessary that the methodology or mode of presentation of my reflective essay should complement the style of writing the journal articles were presented. This was one of the things that I had in mind and served as my setback in finally commencing the writing of my reflective essay. The past two months of attending classes and racing through the pages of the assigned readings were, in my own personal opinion, a review of history as well as an overview of the opinions of scholars on certain social aspects, whether they be on the past, present, or the uncertain future of the Philippines. It is a review, since most of the readings discussed matters and happenings that were...
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...ruled by one party and military regimes. Pressures both from within Africa itself and from outside, however have rekindled debate about democracy in the Africa context and have led to a whole raft of multi-party elections” (Clive Harber). Oscar Wilde ones defined democracy as: “the bludgeoning of the people, by the people, for the people”. Abraham Lincoln also said, democracy is “the government of the people, for the people and by the people”. Democracy is a form of government in which all citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. The term comes from the Greek: “demokratia” meaning, “rule of the people”. According to Mamali Oak, despite the few disadvantages, such as : authorities working with a short term focus, as the government is subject to change after every election time; and citizens can vote under the influence of majority, democracy has more advantages that place it above other forms of governance. A few among them are: 1. Democracy can provide for changes in government without violence. In a democracy, power can be transferred from one party to another by means of elections. 2. The people gain a sense of participation in the process of choosing their government. 3. Democracy prevents monopoly of the ruling authority. 4. It encourages the rule of law and even distribution of wealth. 5. Democracy brings a feeling of obligation towards the citizens. Elections are emerging as a new source of tension, disruption and violence. Election-related...
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...How important for the development of Athenian Democracy was the period from 510 to 480 BC? Give reasons for your views. The birth and growth of Athenian Democracy saw drastic changes occur for Greek life economically and socially, especially during 510 to 480 BC, hence why this era is said to be when the most radical reforms occurred due to archons such as Cleisthenes who attached people by proposing political power to all. Therefore some would consider this era to be the most important in the development of Athenian democracy despite Solons attempts previously. The consequences of the expulsion of Hippias in 511 BC proved to be vital in Athenian Democracy being developed. The citizens of Athens were becoming restless after the cruel reign of Hippias and were determined for a change. The rival leaders for political power were “Isagoras, son of Tisander, a partisan of the tyrants and Clesithenes who belonged to the family of the Alcmenidea. Cleisthenes was beginning to lose the political battle after Isagoras getting the Archonship in 508 BC, he decided to appeal to the masses and put forward a measure by which all free people in Attica should be legally placed on the citizen roles. This alarmed Isagoras who, after appealing to King Cleomenes, asserted that any member of the Alcmeaonid family is to lose their citizenship and for the Council to become an oligarchy of 300 Isagoras supporters. The council resists causing the Spartans to seize the sacred Acropolis but the Athenians...
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...military coupes of Latin America, to the apartheid regime in South Africa and, most important, the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, democracy has spread around the world. As successful as these events might have been, democracy is still vulnerable; the main reason behind this situation is the fact that, unlike other forms of governing, democracy cannot be installed by force and maintained without the support of the people. Competitive free elections, combined with gradual institutionalization and the construction of a political system which appraises the universal values of democracy have proven to be challenging to deliver. As mentioned by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, “no nation is born a democracy”, but democracy has proven to be the key success factor towards building peace, ensuring economic growth and development, consolidate judicial systems and protect human rights (Current Challenges to Democracy). This essay sets to discuss the main current challenges and problems that young democratic government are facing. While democracy, as a concept, has been widely analysed by political analysts, the events of the last decade have raised awareness of a potential reversion of democracy towards government which make excess use of authoritarian power. According to Scott and Steele (2011) and the Council on Foreign Relations, democracy is especially more vulnerable in the developing countries. In these...
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...IMPACT OF DEMOCRACY ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Impact of Democracy on Economic Development (Student’s Name) Professor (Name) Political Science 25 April 2012 IMPACT OF DEMOCRACY ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Abstract IMPACT OF DEMOCRACY ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Impact of Democracy on Economic Development Introduction There is a need to put into proper perspective the impact of democracy on economic development. In recent years, the discourse about democracy and development has gained prominence. Countries with long history of democratic governance have been noted to be doing well economically. It is the view of this author that so far a comprehensive assessment of the full impact of democracy on economic development is yet to be done.Probably, the reason as to why this has been so is because there is an obvious assumption that democracy will always have a positive impact on economic development. It is worthwhile however, to move away from the sweeping generalization and put this issue into proper perspective. It is proper to establish the full impact of democracy. In this study, the author will seek to establish the impact of democracy on economic development. Since its origins in ancient Greece, when Greeks created city states as communities...
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...NS2015-0028 Human Development Studies B ASSIGNMENT 1 FPDS021 Karin Sonderland Table of Contents Introduction | 2 | Body | 2 | Conclusion | 4 | Bibliography | 5 | Introduction The question on whether democracies are actually required for development to take place is inadequate. In this research, I examine how a democracy forms policies that overcome poverty traps and increase development. Democracy is certainly a set of ideas and principles mainly about freedom, but it also involves of practices and procedures that have been molded through a long, and often torturous history. This paper discusses how democracy has been reliable with growth and examines the relationship between development and democracy. Growth has a decreasing effect on democracy because political leaders have full motivations to obey the rules of democracy beyond a particular edge of development. Moreover, the effects of development are facilitated by the arrangement of the international system. The evolution in politics was required to generate conditions which are beneficial towards the development of the economy, but contestation of policy and the increasing levels of corruption is now failing stock and causing unemployment. The link between democracy and development isn’t an easy one. Lipset (1959) and Barro (1996) claim that development in developed capitalist countries leads to more demands for political freedom. There are many causes why democracy weakens development; it is linked with...
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...However, I do not quite agree with this. Development does not always lead to social justice and good governance. By achieving remarkable economic development, other issues like social justice and equality have led to negative social outcomes in autocratic states like China, Vietnam, and Rwanda. In these countries, social activists are imprisoned, government opponents are persecuted or forced into silence, press freedom does not exist and civil society is limited in any of their operation or forced to become a government body (Abuza, 2001; Brook & Frolic, 1997; Easterly, Gatti, & Kurlat, 2006). In China, autocrats have blocked most of the interactive and information sharing websites, including Facebook, You Tube, Twitter, Google, Blogspot and...
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...The essence of this essay is to explore democracy, democratic consolidation and democratization. It further explains why democratization takes different ‘flight trajectories’ in different developing countries. It is difficult to reach a consensus on the definition of democracy. However, the main idea of democracy is widely accepted to have originated from Athens in the 5th century BC. The Webster New Encyclopedic Dictionary (1995) defines democracy as a government in which supreme power is invested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through representation. According to Lindel, and Scott (1999), the term originates from the Greek word (demokratia) which simply means “rule of the people” and it was coined from (demos) “people” and (kratos) “power” or “rule” in the 5th century B.C. It is important to note that the political system postulated by the Athenians was such that democratic citizenship was exclusive to an elite class of free men only. Slaves and women were excluded from participation. Furthermore, in a lecture titled “What is Democracy”? Diamond (2004) gave an overview of what in his opinion is democracy. He describes democracy as a system of government with four key elements: a system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections; active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life; protection of the human rights of all citizens; and a rule of law in which the laws and procedures apply equally...
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...Technology has made democracy more accessible to people by easing the process of participating in the government process. Internet has taken over communication in both developed and developing countries. This has made it easier for the government departments to own and operate websites that can be a channel through which the citizens can reach them. The use of websites and other social media channels such as Facebook has allowed the government and the political class to interact with citizens and voters more effectively and fast. Therefore, information technology has made democracy accessible and affordable to every citizen despite their economic status and consequently technology becomes a tool for democracy. Information technology has a legitimizing power and impacts democracy through its roles in the society. Internet has been a tool for enlightenment of the society through e-learning which are improvements to social structures. For people to live in legitimate democracy, they have to fulfill social obligations such as getting education. Education is simply provided by one click in the internet and therefore information technology is seen as a tool for democracy. Transparency is an important aspect in ensuring there...
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...DRIVING DEMOCRACY – CHAPTER 4 9/15/2007 2:33 PM Chapter 4 Wealth and democracy Can formal democratic institutions succeed if they are built in societies with inhospitable social and economic conditions? In particular, will attempts to hold competitive elections fail to strengthen democracy in poor and divided nation states, as well as in regions such as the Middle East which are dominated by autocracy? Skeptics point to an earlier wave of institution building, when European-style parliaments were transplanted to many African societies during the era of decolonization, including in Benin and Togo, only to collapse as the military usurped their powers.1 We first need to establish the influence of certain underlying economic and social conditions on democratic consolidation before proceeding to examine the impact of powersharing institutions in subsequent chapters. As Dahl points out, where the underlying conditions are highly unfavorable, then it is improbable that democracy could be preserved by any constitutional design. By contrast, if the underlying conditions are highly favorable, then democratic consolidation is likely with almost any constitution.2 But many cases fall into the muddy middle-ground. The analysis of cross-sectional time-series data illuminates the general patterns and what conditions count, focusing upon examining the role of wealth, the size of nation states, colonial legacies, regional diffusion, and the degree of ethnic heterogeneity. Each of these...
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...Liberals have justified democracy as they believe they must have a means of protecting themselves from the intervention of government. This is sometimes seen as protective democracy, and it, for example, allows tax-payers to protect their property by controlling the composition of the tax-making body – hence the principle of ‘no taxation without representation’. Utilitarians have also linked democracy to the ability of individuals to advance or defend their interests, meaning that political democracy promotes ‘the greatest happiness for the greatest number’. Democracy has also been endorsed on the grounds that political participation has educational advantages. By participating in political life, citizens enhance their understanding, strengthen their sensibilities and achieve a higher level of personal development. This is sometimes called developmental democracy. Mill believed in individuality and fulfilling potential. A more modern liberal defence of democracy draws on pluralist ideas in arguing that democracy is the best means of maintaining equilibrium within complex and fluid modern societies. As democracy gives competing groups a political voice, it binds them to the political system and so maintains political stability. Democracy is rule by the people. Its ‘liberal’ features are reflected in a network of internal and external checks on government in order to protect citizens against the state and guarantee liberty. Therefore, democracy in most of the western countries...
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...toeconomic and social development is a question under debate. Amartya Sen, author of Development as Freedom (1999), argues that democracy and democratic values have asignificant role to play in development processes. He gives a number of arguments supportinghis thesis. Writing this essay I considered his arguments as well as my own thoughts andideas. To make clear how democratic values can have an impact on development on differentlevels, I will analyse the significance of democracy for development on three levels, or fromthree perspectives: at the local level it is beneficial with regards to utilising local knowledgeand including local communities, at the national level it is significant because it allows forcivil society to thrive, and viewed from a global perspective it is crucial and highly beneficialfor states to show efforts towards enhancing democracy.At the smallest level – the local or communal level – democratic values includingparticipation, inclusion and freedom of expression are essential to achieving sustainabledevelopment. Organisations and other institutions undertaking development projects in certainareas or communities need to ensure that the members of local communities are sufficientlyconsulted, and that they are the decisive part of all phases of the policy cycle. I am convincedthat this will lead to more effective and – on a long term – to more sustainable developmentbecause of two main reasons: Firstly, development projects should be commenced...
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...Democracy, Religion and Inequality University of Groningen Faculty of Economics and Business Bachelor Thesis International Economics and Business Name Student: Yitian Jing Student ID Number: s2012790 Student email: y.jing@student.rug.nl Date Thesis: Jun. 5th, 2012 Name Supervisor: Dr. Robbert K. J. Maseland First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to my advisor, Dr. R. K. J. Maseland, for his academic guidance and encouragement throughout the research. He has been very generous sharing his experiences on institutional and cultural determinants on economy, as well as on academic research methodology and beyond. I would not have finished such a thesis paper without his support. His effort and patience would never be forgotten. Abstract The democracy’s inequality decreasing effect has been appealing to researchers for long but lacks concentrated argumentation and empirical evidence, as well as the interaction between democracy and religion. This paper conduct an empirical analysis covering time period of 1978-2010 with 86 countries to test the hypotheses of whether democracy decreases inequality and whether an egalitarian religion decreases the influence of democracy. The result shows the direct effect of democracy is weak, however, the hypothesis of religion’s effect on the democracy’s influence is partially confirmed. Therefore, democracy itself has minor influence on inequality while a large proportion of the effect is...
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