Complex Politics in Single Numbers? The Problem of Defining and Measuring Democracy

Bibliographic Data

ID12980628
AuthorsJan Claudius Völkel (0000-0001-9287-8512, Cairo University, corresponding author)
Year2015
Volume24
Issue1
Pages67-81
Publication date2015-01-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMiddle East Critique (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1943-6149 • E-ISSN: 1943-6157
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/19436149.2014.998923
OpenAlexW2064453829
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited18

Whether the Arab world has become more democratic since the Arab Spring is a heated debate. References in these discussions often are made to comparative democracy indices that are considered either with appreciation or skepticism. In this article, the regional coordinator for Middle East and North Africa of the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI) discusses some insights from the assessment process of the most recent data for the BTI's 2014 edition. It shows that the revolutionary changes since 2011 have brought major challenges to those who want to measure democracy. Case studies from certain Arab countries illustrate practical problems and methodological challenges that resulted from the dramatic changes for the BTI 2014 assessment. However, it concludes that the BTI weathered the storms convincingly well, and that the 2014 findings are a useful tool for a deeper understanding of the region's current political dynamics

Democracy · Development economics · Economics · Epistemology · Index (typography · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Skepticism · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · International Development and Aid · Law · Political Conflict and Governance

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