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The Index of Egalitarian Democracy and its Components: V-Dem's Conceptualization and Measurement

V-Dem Working Paper 2015:22

32 Pages Posted: 4 Feb 2016 Last revised: 24 May 2016

See all articles by Rachel Sigman

Rachel Sigman

Government of the United States of America - Naval Postgraduate School; V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg

Staffan I. Lindberg

University of Gothenburg - Varieties of Democracy Institute; University of Gothenburg - Department of Political Science

Date Written: December 1, 2015

Abstract

Much of the scholarship on democracy was produced in a global context characterized by Cold War ideologies. In this context, democracy often came to be associated with capitalist societies that embody, first and foremost, principles of freedom, competition and self-determination. Equality, in contrast, was more frequently associated with the underlying principles of socialist or communist societies, many of which were ruled autocratically by single parties or absolutist dictators. It is not surprising, then, that the most widely-accepted conceptions of democracy tend to emphasize freedom, competition and participation, and sometimes distinctively liberal aspects such as private property rights, constraints on executive power, and strong, independent judiciaries, much more than they do equality.

Suggested Citation

Sigman, Rachel and Lindberg, Staffan I., The Index of Egalitarian Democracy and its Components: V-Dem's Conceptualization and Measurement (December 1, 2015). V-Dem Working Paper 2015:22, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2727612 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2727612

Rachel Sigman (Contact Author)

Government of the United States of America - Naval Postgraduate School ( email )

1 University Circle
Monterey, CA 93943-5001
United States

V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ( email )

Box 711
Göteborg, S-405 30
Sweden

Staffan I. Lindberg

University of Gothenburg - Varieties of Democracy Institute ( email )

Sprängkullsgatan 19
Gothenburg, Gothenburg 405 30
Sweden

HOME PAGE: http://v-dem.net

University of Gothenburg - Department of Political Science ( email )

Box 711
Gothenburg, S-405 30
Sweden

HOME PAGE: http://www.pol.gu.se

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39 References

  1. Daron Acemoglu , James A Robinson
    Economic origins of democracy and dictatorship Posted: 2006
  2. Robert Adcock , David Collier
    The American Political Science Review
    Measurement validity: A shared standard for qualitative and quantitative research , volume 95 , p. 529 - 546 Posted: 2001
  3. Christopher Anderson , Pablo Barimendi
    Income inequality and democratic representation
    Democracy Posted: 2008
  4. David Beetham
    Democracy and human rights Posted: 1999

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