Making Democratic Governance Work

Is democratic governance good for economic prosperity? Does it accelerate progress towards social welfare and human development? Does it generate a peace-dividend and reduce conflict at home? Within the international community, democracy and governance are widely advocated as intrinsically desirable goals. Nevertheless, alternative schools of thought dispute their consequences and the most effective strategy for achieving critical developmental objectives. This book argues that both liberal democracy and state capacity need to be strengthened to ensure effective development, within the constraints posed by structural conditions. Liberal democracy allows citizens to express their demands, hold public officials to account and rid themselves of ineffective leaders. Yet rising public demands that cannot be met by the state generate disillusionment with incumbent officeholders, the regime, or ultimately the promise of liberal democracy ideals. Thus governance capacity also plays a vital role in advancing human security, enabling states to respond effectively to citizen's demands.

Table of Contents

Part I. Introduction: 1. Does democratic governance determine human security?; 2. Theories of regime effects; Part II. Comparing Regimes: 3. The regime typology; 4. Analyzing regime effects; Part III. Development Outcomes: 5. Prosperity; 6. Welfare; 7. Peace; Part IV. Conclusions: 8. Why regimes matter.

Author Biography

Pippa Norris is the Paul F. McGuire Lecturer in Comparative Politics at Harvard University and an ARC Laureate Fellow and Professor of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney. She is the author of a dozen related books published by Cambridge University Press, including Driving Democracy (2008) and Democratic Deficit (2011). Her contribution to the humanities and social science has been recognized most recently by the award of the 2011 Johan Skytte prize (with Ronald Inglehart) and the 2011 Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellowship.