How Geography Makes Democracy Work
Why are some countries more democratic than others? Two dominant approaches characterize how scholars have answered this question: economic development or modernization theory and the vibrancy of civil society. But these explanations often face the critique of endogeneity, and have difficulty acc...
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2016
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/88103 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/40200 |
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| Institution: | Nanyang Technological University |
| Language: | English |
| Summary: | Why are some countries more democratic than others? Two dominant approaches
characterize how scholars have answered this question: economic development or
modernization theory and the vibrancy of civil society. But these explanations often face
the critique of endogeneity, and have difficulty accounting for countries that are wealthy
yet are nondemocratic (e.g., Brunei and Kuwait), or exhibit strong civil societies without
corresponding democratic institutions (e.g., Bangladesh and Morocco). This paper offers
a different approach. It argues that a country’s geographical attributes underlie and
influence both economic development and civil society, and in turn affect democratic
outcomes. Statistical evidence from over 100 countries offers evidence consistent with the
argument. Case studies on twelfth century Italy, modern Malaysia, Malawi, and Paraguay
illustrate the mechanisms at work. |
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