'Economic development is a prerequisite to democratisation.' Discuss Essay

'Economic development is a prerequisite to democratisation.' Discuss - Essay Example Southern Europe became the first continent to experience the rapid political transformation in mid 1970s. It later spread to the Latin America and some specific parts of Asia in 1980s. Finally, in the late 1980s and even in the early 1990s, it moved to the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and some specific parts in the sub- Saharan Africa. In some countries, democratization is known to have a strong impulse, while in other countries it is considered as a weaker impulse or does not even exist. In addition, it has also been revealed that government and politics democratic forms have been common in some specific parts of the world and less in others. In conducting analysis, various individuals have applied the measures of democracy and development, which are different. This has led to several crucial questions that concerns democracy consequences, emergence, and maintenance being handled. Many different scholars have been committed in analyzing democracy economic requisites. This took place during Lipset (1959) early work. He stated that the chances of democracy being sustained are more likely when a country is a more well-to-do. Regardless of how democracy is measured and when used, the relationship between the democracy and the improved levels of economic development remains to be important and irrefutable. The outcome of this various findings is the weak claim of economic development and democracy just being associated with each other. On the other hand, strong claim has been established that economic development brings about democracy. This results in recognition of endogenous and exogenous theories. The relationship between democracy and economic development is the major existing argument. In this argument, endogenous and exogenous theory differences are examined. In the endogenous theory, democracy is described as being economic development function. According to this theory, development in poor countries increases the chances for democratic transition. The fact ors contributing to this include the increase in the number of middle class who are enlightened, changes in the land, income, and capital relative distribution. On the other hand, exogenous theory opposes this; they insist that democracy does not result from development. According to exogenous theory, longevity of democracy is maintained by the economic development. However, the theory suggests that from the authoritarian rule, the transition to democracy is exogenous to development. This theory suggests that democracy is established with the aid of different factors that are considered as being external to economic development processes. These factors include, elites in authoritarian regimes interacting strategically and relative power alterations, elites who are in the regime and those who are in the opposition having strategic interaction, and individual rights of citizenship being mobilized socially. In addition to this are international factors that are significant. These inclu de diffusion, contagion, coercion, and even globalization. These exogenous explanations does not dismiss the existence of economic development, instead the argument is that in countries with high level of development establishment of democracy collapses. This way the process of democratization is just supported by economic development and not determine by it. In exogenous explanations, economic development is critically handled. It considers that once established, democracy continues in a country. The determining factor here is the economic