Measuring Democracy

A Bridge Between Scholarship and Politics
Erscheinungsjahr 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8018-9093-2
Verlag: Johns Hopkins University Press

Buch, Englisch, 200 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 233 mm, Gewicht: 292 g

Reihe: Democratic Transition and Consolidation

Although democracy is a widely held value, concrete measurement of it is elusive. Gerardo L. Munck’s constructive assessment of the methods used to measure democracies promises to bring order to the debate in academia and in practice.

Drawing on his years of academic research on democracy and measurement and his practical experience evaluating democratic practices for the United Nations and the Organization of American States, Munck's discussion bridges the theories of academia with practical applications. In proposing a more open and collaborative relationship between theory and action, he makes the case for reassessing how democracy is measured and encourages fundamental changes in methodology. Munck’s field-tested framework for quantifying and qualifying democracy is built around two instruments he developed: the UN Development Programme’s Electoral Democracy Index and a case-by-case election monitoring tool used by the OAS.

Measuring Democracy offers specific, real-world lessons that scholars and practitioners can use to improve the quality and utility of data about democracy.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Munck, Gerardo L

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Staats- und Regierungsformen, Staatslehre

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Figures and Tables
Preface
1. Bringing Knowledge to Bear on Politics: The Uses and Misuses of Data in Democracy Promotion
2. Conceptualizing and Measuring Democracy: An Evaluation of Alternative Indices
3. Drawing Boundaries: The Crafting of Intermediate Regime Categories
4. Producing and Validating Political Data: The Case of the Electoral Democracy Index
5. Assessing Elections: A Methodology for Election Observation Missions
6. Revisiting Concepts: Democracy and Other Political Values
7. Developing Measures: Beyond Electoral Democracy
Notes
References
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Munck, Gerardo L
Gerardo L. Munck is a professor in the School of International Relations at the University of Southern California. He consults regularly on democracy evaluation for international and nongovernmental organizations, including the United Nations and the Organization of American States. Munck is the coauthor of Passion, Craft, and Method in Comparative Politics, also published by Johns Hopkins.