Democracy and Development: A Philosophical Analysis

Abstract

Democracy has gained global recognition as the best form of government. It is a political institution that is rooted in politico-moral grounds of citizens’ participation,
freedom, and equality of all. Its credibility depends to a large extent on how political institutions work in practice, thus understandable why in some climes there are no
tangible or material values or benefits of democratic governments. In some civilized countries, there is this claim that development is occasioned by the democratization of politics. But this appears not to be the case with authoritarian states like Asia, where the economic prominence of countries like China, Japan, and even India does not represent any democratic politics or governance. China to be specific has emerged the fastest growing economy in the world not with democracy, but with a blend or combination of communist politics and market economics. It seems therefore that the thought that democratic nations are more developed than the undemocratic nations is a mere exaggeration. Gleaned from this, this paper philosophically analyses the concepts of democracy and development. It examines the correlation between democracy and development and the expectations that democracy serves as an economic vehicle for development as well as good governance, which has remained a persistent puzzle among political philosophers. In the final analysis, the paper concludes that while democracy can aid development, both are not synonymous in the sense that democracy has no direct effect on economic growth.