| Syllabus: GS-II, Subject: International relations, Topic: Current Affairs, Issue: Indices and reports |
Context: In response to V-Dem Institute’s recent democracy index, Indian government is planning to release its own democracy index
Democracy as per various democracy indices-
- Democracy indices evaluate factors beyond electoral participation and civic rights, including participatory nature and decision-making processes.
- Differences exist in indicators, weightage, and aggregation models among indices.
- Indices combine quantitative and qualitative assessments, covering political party distribution and corruption safeguards.
Limitations of democracy indices:
- Subjectivity, rely on researchers’ judgments rather than tangible characteristics.
- Questions about the neutrality of experts conducting surveys.
- Scope limitations exist, with smaller countries often overlooked in certain indices.
- Ideological discrepancies occur due to varying definitions of democracy.
Conclusion:
- Different indices serve distinct purposes and can be used as complementary tools.
- Lack of consensus exists on defining democracy and creating a singular index.
