Quality of Democracy

Abstract

Political participation is frequently taken as an indicator of how well a democracy is working. Chapter 7 considers the relationship in reverse: what impact does quality of democracy have on the ability of poor people to participate in politics? It argues that declines in the quality of democracy have a disproportionately negative effect on the capacity of poor citizens to participate in the political process. The erosion of political rights, attacks on associations, and the erosion of political competition create barriers to participation that are more difficult for low-resource actors to overcome. As a result, where democracy is in trouble, poor people often opt out of politics at higher rates than everyone else.