The Democracy Advantage: How Democracies Promote Prosperity and Peace

ISBN-13: 9780415990653 / Angielski / Miękka / 2009 / 294 str.

Morton H. Halperin;Joseph T. Siegle;Michael M. Weinstein

Opis

Reviewing 40 years of hard, empirical data, from China and India to Chile and Iraq, the authors show that poor democracies beat poor autocracies in every economic measure. In addition, the authors offer dramatic evidence that democracies are less likely to fight each other and that terrorists more often find safe haven in authoritarian countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.

The Democracy Advantage provides an empirically-grounded analysis of the consistently positive development track record of poor countries with democratic governments versus those with more oppressive political systems. Building on the democratic peace literature, Halperin, Siegle, and Weinstein also connect the dots of how democracy and development contribute to lower levels of intrastate conflict and popular support for extremist ideologies. This analysis, in turn, provides the foundation for a series of policy recommendations for how democracy can become a more central feature of U.S. and international engagement in the developing world. In short, The Democracy Advantage is an evenly argued liberal internationalist justification for making democracy a central feature of U.S. foreign policy.

This freshly revised edition features updated examples and data throughout. Key features include:

• Case studies on Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan on the security-democracy connection;
• Case studies on Russia, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Mali on the politics-development-democracy connection;
• In-depth treatment of every region of the developing world;
• Renewed emphasis on democratization in face of the Iraq War.

Recenzje

"This valuable and timely volume obliterates the myth--beloved of dictators--that democracy is somehow the enemy of development rather than an essential ally. Here is a treasury of evidence that freedom is not only right--it works
." -- Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State
"Meticulously researched, this book makes the overdue case that democracy helps not hinders poverty reduction. It takes a well-aimed blow at the canard that poor countries need the smack of authoritarian government if they are to have the discipline to grow
." -- Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme

Spis treści

Prologue 1. Exposing a 50-Year-Old Myth 2. Democracy and Development: Setting the record right 3. Sustaining New Democracies 4. Democracy and Security 5. Making Development Safe for Democracy 6. Democracy as the Default Option 7. Bringing Democracy Into the Center of a Comprehensive Development Strategy 8. The Great Race Appendices Endnotes Bibliography About the Authors

O autorze

Morton Halperin is one of America's most respected foreign policy analysts and served in the Clinton, Nixon, and Johnson administrations. He taught at Harvard and is currently the Senior Vice President of the Center for American Progress.
Joseph T. Siegle has done extensive research pn developing countries and is the Douglas Dillon Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Michael Weinstein is Director of Programs for the Robin Hood Foundation and publishes frequently on the editorial pages of The New York Times.