Effective Democracy, Mass Culture, and the Quality of Elites: The Human Development Perspective

Abstract

This article demonstrates that low corruption and high female representation are two characteristics of elite quality that go closely together and help make “formal” democracy increasingly “effective.” However, the quality of elites is not an inherently independent phenomenon but is shaped by a pervasive mass factor: rising self-expression values that shift cultural norms toward greater emphasis on responsive and inclusive elites. Self-expression values, in turn, tend to be strengthened by growing human resources among the masses. Considered in a comprehensive perspective, these various components are linked through the emancipative logic of Human Development: (1) human resources, (2) self-expression values, (3) elite quality, and (4) effective democracy all contribute to widen the scope of human autonomy and choice in several aspects of people’s lives, including their means and skills, their norms and values, as well as their institutions and rights.