ABSTRACT
This book makes the case that democracy does a better job raising living standards in poor countries than does authoritarian government. At first, you might think the claim sounds a bit trite-What decent person would argue otherwise? The truth is that for the past half-century or so, the bulk of academic literature, United States policymakers, and developing country leaders have done so. While America’s support for selected dictators across Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Asia has been primarily based on strategic calculations, this has been further justified by the conviction that democracy in poor countries breeds economic stagnation and civil unrest.
