(৭)গণতন্ত্র সূচক- Democracy Index

Apr 23

The Measurement of Democracy Index

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index is a comprehensive framework that evaluates the state of democracy in 167 countries and territories. Unlike simpler metrics that focus solely on the presence of elections, the EIU methodology incorporates the broader health of political institutions and culture.

Here is a detailed breakdown of how the index is measured:

1. The Core Framework: Five Categories

The index is built upon 60 indicators, which are grouped into five primary categories. Each category represents a different dimension of a democratic society:

Electoral Process and Pluralism: Focuses on the freedom and fairness of national elections, the right of citizens to form political parties, and the ability of the opposition to gain power.
Functioning of Government: Examines whether the freely elected government determines policy, the extent of transparency, and the absence of corruption.
Political Participation: Measures voter turnout, the percentage of women in parliament, and the level of engagement by citizens in political parties or non-governmental organizations.
Political Culture: Assesses the degree of popular support for democracy versus alternative systems (like military or authoritarian rule) and the consensus on democratic norms.
Civil Liberties: Evaluates freedom of expression, freedom of religion, the right to a fair trial, and the protection of minority rights.

2. Scoring Methodology

The scoring process follows a structured hierarchy to ensure a quantitative result:

Indicator Scoring: Each of the 60 questions has set answers, typically scored as 0, 0.5, or 1. These scores are based on expert assessments and, significantly, results from public opinion surveys (such as the World Values Survey).
Category Scores: Within each category, the indicator scores are summed, multiplied by 10, and divided by the total number of indicators in that category. This results in a score from 0 to 10 for each of the five categories.
Final Index Calculation: The overall Democracy Index is the simple average of the five category scores.
Deductions (The "Veto" Rules): There are specific "modifying dependencies." For example, if a country’s national elections are not considered free and fair, it receives a significant deduction in its "Functioning of Government" score, as a lack of electoral legitimacy undermines the entire democratic structure.

3. Classification of Regimes

Based on the final score (rounded to two decimal places), the EIU classifies countries into four types of regimes:

  
    Regime Type
    Score Range
    Description
  
    Full Democracy
    $8.01 - 10.0$
    Civil liberties and fundamental political freedoms are respected and reinforced by a political culture conducive to democracy.
  
    Flawed Democracy
    $6.01 - 8.0$
    Elections are fair and basic liberties are respected, but there are significant weaknesses in other aspects (e.g., low political participation).
  
    Hybrid Regime
    $4.01 - 6.0$
    Elections have substantial irregularities that often prevent them from being both free and fair. Governance is weak and the judiciary is not independent.
  
    Authoritarian Regime
    $0.0 - 4.0$
    Political pluralism is absent or heavily restricted. Infringements on civil liberties are common, and the media is typically state-controlled.

4. Distinguishing Features

The EIU Index is noted for two specific methodological choices:

Emphasis on Public Opinion: Unlike other indices that rely solely on legal documents or expert panels, the EIU incorporates survey data to see if the citizens actually value democracy.
Breadth over Economics: The index focuses strictly on political and social factors. It does not include economic growth or living standards as criteria, arguing that a wealthy country is not inherently more democratic than a poor one.

Three Ways to Frame and Measure Democracy

Examples of how democracy is framed and measured:

  
    Index
    Freedom House
    Economist Intelligence Unit
    V-Dem
  
    Components
    Elections
    Elections
    Elections
  
    Participation
    Participation
    Participation
  
    Functioning of Government
    Functioning of Government
    Deliberation
  
    Free Expression
    Political Culture
    Egalitarianism
  
    Organizational Rights
    Civil Liberties
    Liberalism (individual rights)
  
    Rule of Law
    
    Individual Rights