Democracy and Development
Political Institutions and Well-Being in the World, 1950–1990
Part of Cambridge Studies in the Theory of Democracy A. Przeworski, M.E. Alvarez, J. A. Cheibub, F. Limongi - Cambridge Univ. press, 2000
Is economic development conducive to
political democracy? Does democracy foster or hinder material welfare?
These two questions are examined by looking at the experience of 135
countries between 1950 and 1990. Descriptive information, statistical
analyses, and historical narratives are interwoven to gain an
understanding of the dynamic of political regimes and their impact on
economic development and other aspects of material welfare. The
findings, several most surprising, dispel any notion of a trade-off
between democracy and development. Economic development does not
generate democracies but democracies are much more likely to survive in
wealthy societies. Political regimes have no impact on the growth of
total national incomes, while political instability affects growth only
in dictatorships. Per capita incomes grow faster in democracies since
population increases faster under dictatorships. In general, political
regimes have more of an effect on demography than on economics.Uses state of the art econometric techniques to examine the impact of development on the dynamic of political regimes and vice versa
Based on an exhaustive number of studies covering forty years
Uses theories and models of political science, economics, and demography
