The Case for Democracy

Abstract

Michael Mandelbaum’s Democracy’s Good Name: The Rise and Risks of the World’s Most Popular Form of Government (2007) provides a valuable analysis of the success of democracy in the modern world but fails to adequately deal with remaining questions having to do with: (i) the definition of democracy; (ii) the linkage between democracy and economic development and (iii) the importance of public administration. Political Elasticity (PE) theory is used to explain the im- portance of public administration, particularly the linkage between effective decentralization and centralization. To illustrate the usefulness of PE theory, several comparative case studies (China and India; Bangladesh and Vietnam) are introduced in regard to the question of why is it that authoritarian states (for example, China and Vietnam) are sometimes more successful in economic development, particularly in raising standards of living, than their more democratic counterparts. Finally, at the conclusion, the question is raised about the relationship of democracy to corruption. In so doing, Lord Acton’s provocative assertion, ‘power tends to corrupt and absolute power, to corrupt absolutely’, is addressed, including a comparison of authoritarian Singapore and democratic Jamaica, suggesting: (i) that political power, if persuasive, is not necessarily corruptive; (ii) liberal or partisan democracy tends to corrupt and lawless democracy, to corrupt absolutely and (iii) authoritarian regimes may recognize that controlling corruption is essential for their legitimacy and economic prosperity.