Democracy and Development

by Bernard Berendsen

Overview

Recent world events have brought to the public’s attention questions that have concerned politics experts and policy wonks for years: what is the relationship between democracy and development?

This collection of essays addresses a range of issues surrounding this question, including: What comes first, democracy or development? Is there a choice between democracy and stability? Can democracy be promoted from outside or should we focus on the promotion of democratic culture from within a country? Are different cultures equally compatible with democratic systems of government? Finally, should the promotion of democracy be seen as part of regular development cooperation and what are the respective roles of national governments, international organizations and civil society?

The highly experienced contributors to this volume suggest there is a positive relationship between the two: more democracy implies more openness and checks and balances, and more accountability and less corruption—all of which is conducive to sustainable development.

The book is based on a series of lectures organized by the Society of International Development (SID), the Netherlands.

Contributors include William Easterley (New York University and Brookings Institution, author of White Men’s Burden), Michael Edwards (Ford Foundation), Thomas Carothers (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace), Paul Collier, David, Kumi Naidoo (the World Alliance for Citizen Participation), Nico Schrijver, Kim Campbell (former Prime Minister of Canada and co-founder of the Club de Madrid) and others.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789068326116
Publisher:	KIT (Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen)
Publication date:	07/28/2008
Pages:	306
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Bernard Berendsen is a member of the Advisory Council on Foreign Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Netherlands.

Table of Contents

Preface—Jos van Gennip and Bernard Bot; Introduction—Bernard Berendsen; PART I DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT: Development Starts at the Ballot Box—Agnes van Ardenne-van der Hoeven; Governance, Corruption, Democracy and Development in Latin America: Empirics in an International Comparative Perspective—Daniel Kaufman; Freedom and Development—William Easterly; PART II DEMOCRACY VERSUS STABILITY: Democracy, Nation Building and Development—Bernard Berendsen and Van Beuningen; Fragile States—Paul Collier; Democracy Meets Development—Bert Koenders; PART III THE PROMOTION OF DEMOCRACY: Does Democracy Promotion Have a Future?—Thomas Carothers; Alternatives for Liberal Democracy—Kim Campbell; Democracy Building Globally: How Can Europe Contribute—Vidar Helgesen; Looking Forward—Lena Hjelm-Wallén; PART IV CULTURE AND DEMOCRACY: Structural and Cultural Preconditions for Democracy—David Beetham; Democracy and Islam—Anwar Ibrahim; Between Theology and the Law: Reconsidering the Islamic View of Democracy and Rights—Vincent Cornell; PART V THE ROLE OF THE STATE, CIVIL SOCIETY AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS: International Organisations, Democracy and Good Governance: Do They Practice What They Preach?—Nico Schrijver; Civil Society: Revolutionary Idea or Political Slogan?—Michael Edwards; Civil Society, Governance and Globalisation—Kumi Naidoo; Summary of Lectures—Bernard Berendsen and Frans Bieckmann; Conclusion—Bernard Berendsen.