Poverty, Participation, and Democracy: A Global Perspective

by Edited by Anirudh Krishna

• ISBN13: 9780521729604
• ISBN10: 0521729602
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-07-21
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

For too long a conventional wisdom has held sway, suggesting that poor people in poor countries are not supportive of democracy and that democracies will be sustained only after a certain average level of wealth has been achieved. Evidence from 24 diverse countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America examined in this volume shows how poor people do not value democracy any less than their richer counterparts. Their faith in democracy is as high as that of other citizens, and they participate in democratic activities as much as their richer counterparts. Democracy is not likely to be unstable or unwelcome simply because poverty is widespread. Political attitudes and participation levels are unaffected by relative wealth. Education, rather than income or wealth, makes for more committed and engaged democratic citizens. Investments in education will make a critical difference for stabilizing and strengthening democracy.

Author Biography

Anirudh Krishna (PhD in government, Cornell University 2000; master's degree in economics, University of Delhi 1980) is Associate Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at Duke University

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Contributors	p. xi
Introduction: Poor People and Democracy	p. 1
Poor People and Democratic Citizenship in Africa	p. 28
Do Poor People Care Less for Democracy? Testing Individual-Level Assumptions with Individual-Level Data from India	p. 65
Inequality and Democracy in Latin America: Individual and Contextual Effects of Wealth on Political Participation	p. 94
The Poor and the Viability of Democracy	p. 125
Conclusion: Implications for Policy and Research	p. 147
Bibliography	p. 161
Index	p. 179
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