Athens' Parthenon. Filckr/claire rowland. CC BY 2.0.Is democracy the only kind of political system that can deliver on prosperity and stability? This is the question that I was asked to address in a panel organised as part of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy’s 25th anniversary conference that took place in London last week. As much as I would like to argue to the contrary, I am afraid the answer must be “no”. There are many examples that show that democracy is not a necessary condition to achieve development.
However, we are at a juncture where the stability and resilience of democracy has come into question, not just in developing settings but also in some of the world’s oldest and most established democracies. If we turn the question around and ask instead: "does democracy have to deliver in order to be sturdy and resilient over time?", then the answer is a resounding “yes”.
In many countries, democratic institutions that are in place are often hollow, weak and ineffective.
