New Instrument to Measure the Width and Depth of Democracy
On Friday 25 October, Varieties of Democracy will be presented at the University of Gothenburg. Varieties of Democracy is a new way to measure the degree of democracy in countries across the world – a way that yields a more nuanced view of democratic development than previous indices. Funders, researchers and stakeholders from around the world will meet for one week to discuss the first results from the world’s largest democracy research project. Media representatives are invited to attend the presentation.
The initiative to develop a new way to measure democracy was taken by Staffan I. Lindberg from the University of Gothenburg and Michael Coppedge from the Kellogg Institute/Notre Dame University, both of whom are now leading the research project together with John Gerring from Boston University and Jan Teorell from Lund University.
‘Democracy is so much more than free elections and freedom of press, which is what the most commonly used democracy indices Freedom House and Polity IV focus on. We wanted to create an instrument that reflects more aspects of democracy and therefore gives a better representation of the level of democracy in a country,’ says Staffan I. Lindberg.
The new instrument Varieties of Democracy assesses democracy based on seven areas. Within each area, the researchers have defined a number of components, which in turn are based on a total of 329 indicators.
‘We collect a great deal of the underlying data, for example on election participation, from open sources. Other data is based on estimates by 4,000 national experts in more than 200 countries. Eventually, the democracy database will contain 22 million pieces of data,’ says Lindberg.
In contrast to previous indices, the aim is not for Varieties of Democracy to boil down all the different measurements to a single score. Instead the purpose is to point to the many dimensions of democracy.
‘Comparisons between countries will differ depending on which areas you choose to focus on. For example, Sweden scores very high in the area of equal opportunities but lower when it comes to individual freedom – an area where USA stands out,’ says Lindberg.
Varieties of Democracy will be presented during an open seminar at the University of Gothenburg’s main building in the Vasaparken park, Gothenburg, Sweden. The first results from the study will also be discussed.
Media representatives are welcome to attend the presentation.
Time: 8.30 am – 12.30 pm
Venue: The Torgny Segerstedt Room, University of Gothenburg’s main building, Vasaparken, Gothenburg, Sweden.
If you would like to attend, please e-mail Lars-Olof Karlsson at lars-olof.karlsson@gu.se
For more information please contact:
Staffan I. Lindberg, Principal Investigator, e-mail: staffan.i.lindberg@pol.gu.se, tel.: +46 (0)733 76 15 40
Lars-Olof Karlsson, Communications Officer, e-mail: lars-olof.karlsson@gu.se, tel.: +46 (0)766 18 48 41
MORE ABOUT VARIETIES OF DEMOCRACY:
The seven focus areas of Varieties of Democracy are:
- Electoral democracy (degree of free elections)
- Liberal democracy (degree of individual freedom and restraints on government)
- Participatory democracy (width and depth of participation in decision-making processes)
- Deliberative democracy (degree of respect and rationality in political discussions before decisions are made)
- Egalitarian democracy (degree of equal opportunities, for example in education, healthcare and economic matters)
- Majoritarian democracy (degree to which the will of the majority is sovereign)
- Consensus democracy (degree of representation and participation in government by many groups)
More information:
The website of Varieties of Democracy
Lars-Olof Karlsson
Communications Officer
Phone: +46 (0)31 786 4841
E-mail: lars-olof.karlsson@gu.se
University of Gothenburg is one of the major universities in Europe, with about 37 000 students and a staff of 6 000. Its eight faculties offer training in the Creative Arts, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Humanities, Education, Information Technology, Business, Economics and Law, and Health Sciences. The University’s unique breadth in education and research provides an interdisciplinary environment conducive to collaboration with private enterprise and public institutions. The quality of the University has earned recognition in the form of numerous awards, including a recent Nobel Prize, and a steady stream of applicants at all levels.
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