Submitted by: Submitted by qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq
Views: 10
Words: 11005
Pages: 45
Category: Literature
Date Submitted: 05/24/2016 03:03 PM
Lund University
Bachelor of Science in Development Studies
Department of Political Science
STVK12 Bachelor’s Thesis
Supervisor: Teresia Rindefjäll
Spring 2012
Democracy and Human Development
A Cross-National Analysis
Olle Berggren
Abstract
This thesis analyses the effects of democracy and democratisation on human
development levels and growth. Theoretically, the idea of development as
freedom is incorporated into the classical debate of democracy’s impact on
development. Empirically, this is tested in a number of cross-sectional and pooled
panel multiple linear regression models, covering the period 1980-2010.
Democracy is measured by Freedom House’s political rights and civil liberties,
while human development is measured by the HDI. The same regressions are also
performed with GDP per capita and economic growth as the dependent variable.
In its largest sample, this study covers 146 countries. The results of this study
generally support the hypothesis that democracy and democratisation are more
important for human development than for economic development. Moreover, the
results indicate that democracy and democratisation have positive effects on
changes in human development, while they may still have negative effects on
economic growth rates. This finding strongly supports the claim that human
development is compatible with, and even strengthened by, human freedom and
political democracy. Finally, these findings also have some important policy
implications, suggesting that democratisation and democracy promotion are
important as long as human development, rather than economic growth, is the
ultimate developmental goal.
Keywords: democracy, human development, freedom, growth, democratisation
Words: 9,829
Table of Contents
Tables and Figures ......................................................................................................... 1
Abbreviations...