Outcomes of Democracy

Lesson

We prefer democracy. But what does it actually deliver, and where does it fall short?

In this lesson you will

Assess democracy against the outcome of accountable, responsive and legitimate government
Explain transparency and why democratic decisions take time
Interpret evidence on economic growth under democracies and dictatorships
Evaluate the record of democracies on inequality and poverty

Part 1 at a glance

Concept

Judging democracy fairly

Democracy creates conditions for good outcomes; citizens must still use them.

Table contrasting unfair ways of judging democracy, such as expecting it to solve every problem, with fair ways, such as comparing democracies with non-democracies on the same outcomes
Unfair way to judge	Fair way to judge
Expect democracy to solve every problem	Ask what democracy can reasonably be expected to produce
Blame democracy for everything that goes wrong	Compare democracies with non-democracies on the same outcome
Look only at speed	Look at accountability, fairness, dignity and growth together

Diagram