Although the connection between economic development and democratic consolidation is far from straight forward,we can say one thing with confidence.The idea that democracy and development necessarily go together is `fashionable nonsense`.The sad truth is

Running head : ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND DEMOCRACY

Name

Institution

Introduction

Economic development refers to the progress made in the economic spheres of social life . This could be explained by comparing the development of money from the initial level of barter trade to the coins and banknotes or plastic money currently in use . The various stages in the development of fiscal instruments can be referred to as economic development . A country develops economically from an agro based economy to an industrialized one . Democracy is a form of political organization that has

many forms . Its basic characteristics allow for the involvement of as many citizens as possible in the political process either through direct involvement or by representative participation . Democracy in its most refined form respects the rights of individuals to freedom of speech , association and movement . For the most part political theorists posit that democracy is the highest form of political organization having evolved from highly autocratic and dictatorial regimes . The communist ideology prided itself as the antithesis to democracy predicting that democracy and its capitalist ideals will collapse due to the contradictions within the system and consequently give birth to the communist state . This was not to be and instead communism per se has given way to democracy . This posits that democracy as a political form of social organization is not a prerequisite to economic development

The modernization theory developed as an attempt to explain the changes in society due to the modernizing influences of economic developments and technological advances . It posited that the more democratic a nation the greater will be its economic development . Thus for the student of the modernist theory , economic development of a nation could be measured by the level of democracy practiced . This theory has been criticized for basing its benchmarks on western standards and especially the American interpretation of democracy and development . It has failed to take into consideration the socialists and communist nations that have achieved high levels of development without necessarily practicing democracy

Late modernization refers to the situation whereby nations or societies develop from one level to another much later than other nations . It thus becomes imperative for these societies to catch up with those that are highly developed . To push through some of the modernizing practices it is necessary for the leadership of such nations to dictate the pace and direction that the nation will take . In most instances this calls for an autocratic leader with dictatorial tendencies if the goals and ambitions are to be realized . The communist leadership under Mao Tse Tung in China and the Emperor of Japan developed their nations within a relatively short span of time despite resistance to their actions . The methods used to modernize their states were at times extremely brutal and cost thousands of lives to be able to succeed . These nations achieved remarkable development without necessarily becoming more democratic . This is especially so in the case of China . However , western influence is bearing on these nations to open up their democratic...