Abstract
This article introduces a discussion on defining, measuring, and assessing the quality of democracy. Providing a short overview of the papers of the Symposium, it places them within a broader context of current academic debate on various methodological, theoretical, and policy outreach dimensions of the topic.
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Notes
‘At mid-century, there were 22 democracies accounting for 31 per cent of the world's population and a further 21 states with restricted democratic practices, for 11.9 per cent of the globe's population. By the close of our century liberal and electoral democracies clearly predominate, and have expanded significantly in the Third Wave, which has brought democracy to much of the post-Communist world and to Latin America and parts of Asia and Africa. Electoral democracies now represent 119 of the 192 existing countries and constitute 58.2 per cent of the world's population. At the same time liberal democracies – i.e. countries Freedom House regards as free and respectful of basic human rights and the rule of law – are 85 in number and represent 38 per cent of the global population’ (Freedom House Democracy's Century Report, 1999. Available online: http://www.freedomhouse.org/reports/century.pdf).
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A special word of gratitude goes out to Professor Alfred Tovias for his invaluable help in providing the information for this article.
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Pinto, A., C Magalhães, P. & Sousa, L. Is the Good Polity Attainable? – Measuring the Quality of Democracy. Eur Polit Sci 11, 447–455 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1057/eps.2011.45
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/eps.2011.45