TY - JOUR

T1 - Measuring Effective Democracy

T2 - a Defense

AU - Alexander, Amy Catherine

AU - Inglehart, Ronald

AU - Welzel, Christian

PY - 2012/1

Y1 - 2012/1

N2 - Against recent criticism, this article demonstrates that the effective democracy index (EDI) has scale properties that are fully consistent with the normative premises of the index's construction logic. Empirically, it is shown that the EDI deviates from all other indices of democracy in a perfectly intended way that incorporates substantiating qualities of democracy which the other indices neglect. As a result, the EDI outperforms all other democracy indices in its associative strength with key theoretical correlates of democracy, conditional and consequential. From a substantive point of view, the EDI is the most reliable and valid index of democracy that is currently available.

AB - Against recent criticism, this article demonstrates that the effective democracy index (EDI) has scale properties that are fully consistent with the normative premises of the index's construction logic. Empirically, it is shown that the EDI deviates from all other indices of democracy in a perfectly intended way that incorporates substantiating qualities of democracy which the other indices neglect. As a result, the EDI outperforms all other democracy indices in its associative strength with key theoretical correlates of democracy, conditional and consequential. From a substantive point of view, the EDI is the most reliable and valid index of democracy that is currently available.

KW - Politics

KW - Gender and Diversity

KW - democracy

KW - effective democracy

KW - human empowerment

KW - rule of law

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84856721549&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/0192512111414682

DO - 10.1177/0192512111414682

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 33

SP - 41

EP - 62

JO - International Political Science Review

JF - International Political Science Review

SN - 0192-5121

IS - 1

ER -