ABSTRACT
Using the global Polity IV measure, Elbadawi, Makdisi and Milante (EMM) compare the Arab world with such regional comparators as Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asian countries, and Latin American countries, as well as other non-high income states. They conclude that the Arab world has lagged behind the rest of the developing world, with little to no progress in political representation in the past 40 years (Elbadawi and Makdisi, 2007; EMM, 2006).
