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CIAO DATE: 9/5/2006
What’s So Good About Democracy? A Research Note
William Clark
April 2005
Center for International Studies University of Southern California
Abstract
“Stare into the pewter pot, to see the world as the world’s not.”
A.E. Housemann
It is surprisingly difficult to demonstrate that democracy makes a difference where, presumably, it is needed the most. Life remains precarious for large portions of the world’s population, and the people for whom survival is far from trivial are concentrated in the world’s poorest nations. If, as we seem committed to believe, a) the state can play some positive role in securing the life chances of individuals; and b) democracy increases the likelihood that states will play such a role, then we ought to see tangible benefits from the adoption of democracy in the world’s poorest nations. If not, we may be required to accept either of two uncomfortable conclusions. Perhaps democracy has important normative benefits but provides little in terms of material consequences. Alternatively, it may have material benefits, but only in countries where wealth has already made such benefits less vital.
