The Democratic Dilemma: an Exploratory Analysis of Governance and Human Development In Newly Industrialized Countries
School Name
South Carolina Governor's School for Science & Mathematics
Grade Level
12th Grade
Presentation Topic
Sociology
Presentation Type
Mentored
Abstract
The state of global democracy is in a precarious position. Authoritarianism and populism are on the rise in every corner of the world and is especially pronounced in the developing world. With rising wealth inequality and slowing global growth, radical populism has become one of most volatile political forces challenging democratic norms and institutions. Many developing nations have been caught in this dilemma. However newly industrialized nations such as Bangladesh and former colonial states like Botswana have experienced record levels of growth. To understand this phenomenon, the relationship between certain political factors and yearly national development from the late 1990s to the early 2010s was explored using regression. The programming language R was used to regress the World Bank governance factors with Human Development index data. This same method was then used on Senegal and India, two democracies with lower rates of development. The regressions for each nation were then analyzed in a holistic framework. The statistical scores generated were given meaning utilizing historical and economic context, and the analysis for each nation’s development cycle was compared. It was found that political stability and support for private business and NGO’s had the greatest impact on development.
Recommended Citation
Swain, Rohit, "The Democratic Dilemma: an Exploratory Analysis of Governance and Human Development In Newly Industrialized Countries" (2020). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 295.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2020/all/295
Location
Furman Hall 207
Start Date
3-28-2020 1:45 PM
Presentation Format
Oral Only
Group Project
No
The Democratic Dilemma: an Exploratory Analysis of Governance and Human Development In Newly Industrialized Countries
Furman Hall 207
The state of global democracy is in a precarious position. Authoritarianism and populism are on the rise in every corner of the world and is especially pronounced in the developing world. With rising wealth inequality and slowing global growth, radical populism has become one of most volatile political forces challenging democratic norms and institutions. Many developing nations have been caught in this dilemma. However newly industrialized nations such as Bangladesh and former colonial states like Botswana have experienced record levels of growth. To understand this phenomenon, the relationship between certain political factors and yearly national development from the late 1990s to the early 2010s was explored using regression. The programming language R was used to regress the World Bank governance factors with Human Development index data. This same method was then used on Senegal and India, two democracies with lower rates of development. The regressions for each nation were then analyzed in a holistic framework. The statistical scores generated were given meaning utilizing historical and economic context, and the analysis for each nation’s development cycle was compared. It was found that political stability and support for private business and NGO’s had the greatest impact on development.
