What are the tangible benefits of democracy? We know that democracy provides opportunities for people to participate in government and advocate policies that will improve their lives. We also know that democracy allows freedom of expression and other such rights. Participants in the Democracy Video Challenge showed all the different ways that citizens around the world think about democracy.
Although there is much debate on this, here at CIPE we believe that in order for democracies to deliver tangible benefits to their citizens, democratic governance must go hand in hand with economic reforms. Sustainable and inclusive economic growth reinforces democracy. Democracy, in turn, creates opportunities for sustainable and inclusive growth.
The connection between democracy and market economies was one of the underlying themes of CIPE’s Democracy that Delivers event a year ago. In celebration of the International Day of Democracy, we invite you to reflect on these linkages, which are captured well by Judy Shelton, Anne-Marie Slaughter, and Robert Litan in the short video above.
Published Date: September 14, 2010