India is a flawed democracy: Survey

London: India is one of the 54 countries that have flawed democracies, according to a new democracy index devised by the Economist Intelligence Unit, a division of the leading newsmagazine The Economist.

In a detailed analysis of the 'World in 2007', the magazine has devised the index that examines 60 indicators across five broad categories: free elections, civil liberties, functioning government, political participation and political culture.

As per the index, India is listed among the 54 'flawed democracies' that include countries such as Brazil, Israel, Poland, Romania and Estonia. The list of 'authoritarian regimes' includes Pakistan.

TEXTURE OF DEMOCRACY

Economist Intelligence Unit delves deeper into the texture of democracy, looking at 60 indicators across five broad categories: free elections, civil liberties, functioning government, political participation and political culture. Free elections and civil liberties are necessary conditions for democracy, but they are unlikely to be sufficient for a robust democracy if unaccompanied by transparent and at least minimally efficient government, adequate participation in politics and a supportive culture.

Twenty-eight countries including the US, Britain, Norway, Denmark and Portugal are listed as 'full democracies'. Sweden is described as a 'near-perfect' democracy.

According to the index methodology, India scored 9.58 out of ten for its electoral process and pluralism and 8.21 out of ten for functioning of government. Its score for political participation was 5.56 out of 10 and 5.63 out of 10 for political culture. It got 9.41 out of ten for civil liberties.

There have been reversals before - a wave of democratisation after 1945 ended with more than 20 countries sliding back into authoritarianism. We are not witnessing that sort of regression, but in 2007 the threat of backsliding outweighs the likelihood of further gains.

Nevertheless, it would be wrong to be too pessimistic. Democracy as a value retains strong universal appeal. Creating democracy by external intervention has not gone smoothly. But trends such as globalisation, increasing education and expanding middle classes favour its organic development. These underlying forces suggest that any retreat from democracy will be temporary.

HALTING DEMOCRACY?
	According to Freedom House, an American organisation that tracks global trends in political freedom, at the end of 2005 there were 122 “electoral democracies” (64% of the world’s states). On a more stringent criterion, 89 of these were rated as “politically free”—46% of all states.
	The weak response in the Middle East to pressures for democratisation, as well as the experience with imported political change in Iraq, is making a mockery of George Bush’s “freedom” agenda.
	In Asia, the coup in Thailand was a reminder of democracy’s fragility.
	The promise of the multi-coloured revolutions around the former Soviet Union remains unfulfilled, and a slide into authoritarian ways in Vladimir Putin’s Russia continues.
	In Latin America populist forces with dubious democratic credentials have come to the fore, in Venezuela and elsewhere. Even in the developed West, a lack of interest in politics and security-related curbs on civil liberties are having a corrosive effect on some long-established democracies.
	In Britain, there has been some erosion of civil liberties and also a shocking decline in political participation. Britain’s score in this area is the lowest in the West and is reflected across all dimensions - voter turnout, membership of political parties, willingness to engage in politics and attitudes towards it.