Comments on: Democracy and development http://www.democracyandsociety.com/blog/2009/12/28/democracy-and-development/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=democracy-and-development Thoughts on democracy and civil society Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:52:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Barak http://www.democracyandsociety.com/blog/2009/12/28/democracy-and-development/comment-page-1/#comment-358 Barak Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:45:23 +0000 http://www.democracyandsociety.com/blog/?p=917#comment-358 It's a good question. There is no doubt that China's rapid economic development is in large measure solving a political problem. Certainly economic development can happen in authoritarian systems. Nor do I believe we ought to destabilize countries that have popular authoritarian governments. The problem that I was addressing is authoritarian governments that aren't interested in economic development - a common problem. In the absence of political rights, people have no peaceful way of getting rid of these governments. It’s a good question. There is no doubt that China’s rapid economic development is in large measure solving a political problem. Certainly economic development can happen in authoritarian systems. Nor do I believe we ought to destabilize countries that have popular authoritarian governments. The problem that I was addressing is authoritarian governments that aren’t interested in economic development – a common problem. In the absence of political rights, people have no peaceful way of getting rid of these governments.

]]> By: Visitor http://www.democracyandsociety.com/blog/2009/12/28/democracy-and-development/comment-page-1/#comment-356 Visitor Tue, 29 Dec 2009 08:25:14 +0000 http://www.democracyandsociety.com/blog/?p=917#comment-356 Barak, But what if a government is interested in spurring economic development and industrialization in order to quell potentially hazardous political unrest and placate its citizenry? Is this not the case with China? I would posit that this problem (can economic development and increased social goods be provided void of democracy?), one of authoritarian capitalism vs. democratic capitalism, is one that will be cast as the overarching dichotomous problem of the globalized era. Barak,

But what if a government is interested in spurring economic development and industrialization in order to quell potentially hazardous political unrest and placate its citizenry? Is this not the case with China? I would posit that this problem (can economic development and increased social goods be provided void of democracy?), one of authoritarian capitalism vs. democratic capitalism, is one that will be cast as the overarching dichotomous problem of the globalized era.

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