• About us
  • GSDRC Publications
  • Research Helpdesk
  • E-Bulletin
  • Privacy policy

GSDRC

Governance, social development, conflict and humanitarian knowledge services

  • Governance
    • Democracy & elections
    • Public sector management
    • Security & justice
    • Service delivery
    • State-society relations
  • Social Development
    • Gender
    • Inequalities & exclusion
    • Social protection
    • Poverty & wellbeing
  • Humanitarian Issues
    • Humanitarian financing
    • Humanitarian response
    • Recovery & reconstruction
    • Refugees/IDPs
    • Risk & resilience
  • Conflict
    • Conflict analysis
    • Conflict prevention
    • Conflict response
    • Conflict sensitivity
    • Impacts of conflict
    • Peacebuilding
  • Development Pressures
    • Climate change
    • Food security
    • Fragility
    • Migration & diaspora
    • Population growth
    • Urbanisation
  • Approaches
    • Complexity & systems thinking
    • Institutions & social norms
    • PEA / Thinking & working politically
    • Results-based approaches
    • Theories of change
  • Aid Instruments
    • Budget support & SWAps
    • Capacity building
    • Civil society partnerships
    • Multilateral aid
    • Private sector partnerships
    • Technical assistance
  • M&E
    • Indicators
    • Learning
    • M&E approaches
Home»Document Library»Analysing the Relationship Between Democracy and Development: Defining Basic Concepts and Assessing Key Linkages

Analysing the Relationship Between Democracy and Development: Defining Basic Concepts and Assessing Key Linkages

Library
Alina Rocha Menocal
2007

Summary

This paper from the Overseas Development Institute analyses the complex relationship between democracy and development.

The paper highlights the importance of democracy as a process and development as an outcome. The evidence on whether democratic or authoritarian regimes promote development more effectively remains mixed. Given that different political regimes may be capable of implementing similar policies, it may be useful for donors to consider the kinds of institutional arrangements that are in place instead of focusing solely on regime-type.

State institutions matter and the orientation and effectiveness of the state are the critical variable explaining why some countries succeed whereas others fail in meeting development goals. Many of the countries stuck in incomplete democratisation processes, especially poor ones, are not only trying to democratise but more fundamentally to build effective states. Democratisation does not automatically yield benefits for equity or state capacity, however.

Further findings are that:

  • Democratisation and state-building may pull in different directions. For instance, democratisation often involves establishing checks and balances and diffusing power more evenly across a greater number of actors within and outside government, while strengthening state capacity may call for greater autonomy and centralisation of power.
  • Economic development is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for the emergence of democracy, but may help to sustain democracy because it can reduce class struggle. As a number of authors note, equitable distribution of wealth also helps to maintain democracy.
  • Authoritarian regimes may be conducive to development but an authoritarian ruler may not always be interested in playing a positive role in the developmental process.
  • The good governance agenda tends to assume that democracies will lead to policies favouring redistribution. However, in many developing countries, democratisation has not been associated with redistribution.

When donors make choices about how to support democracy and how to promote development they need to take account of how their activities in one realm affect the other. The international community should also note the following:

  • A democracy should not be expected to produce better socio-economic outcomes simply because it is a democracy.
  • Democratisation can increase corruption, and may not necessarily improve growth, poverty or inequality.
  • A combination of low state capacity and low human development in poor countries poses challenges for external democracy promotion and protection.

Source

Rocha Menocal, A., 2007, 'Analysing the Relationship Between Democracy and Development: Defining Basic Concepts and Assessing Key Linkages', Background note (1) prepared for the Wilton Park Conference on Democracy and Development, 23-25 October 2007

Related Content

Factors supporting the emergence of democracies
Helpdesk Report
2016
Elections and democracy support
E-Learning
2015
Political systems
Topic Guide
2014
Social mobilisation in urban contexts
Helpdesk Report
2014
birminghamids hcri

gro.crdsg@seiriuqne Feedback Disclaimer

Outputs supported by FCDO are © Crown Copyright 2023; outputs supported by the Australian Government are © Australian Government 2023; and outputs supported by the European Commission are © European Union 2023
Connect with us: facebooktwitter

Outputs supported by DFID are © DFID Crown Copyright 2023; outputs supported by the Australian Government are © Australian Government 2023; and outputs supported by the European Commission are © European Union 2023