ABSTRACT
Robert A. Dahl argues that democracy as a system must be defined and justified, and that economic enterprises should be democratized. Dahl believes that a possible third democratic transformation might occur. Democratic transitions would occur in nondemocratic countries, and changes in the "scale" of politics would expand in democratic states. Dahl argues that democratic transitions in nondemocratic countries could move in either direction. Democracy could expand "as the political institutions of more and more and more nondemocratic countries are transformed into polyarchy", or contract "as the conditions for polyarchy become more unfavorable" because leaders take stronger control. He suggests instead that states should be evaluated based on the extent to which they are genuinely polyarchical. For example, a revolutionary nondemocratic regime might be a positive force in bringing about conditions for the development of polyarchy in future. The global economic recession that began in 2007–8 may have created an opportunity for research into Dahl's vision of democratizing businesses.
