Democracy prevents dire outcomes because it has built-in methods of correction.
Martin Wolf
Last week, I discussed the poor state of democracy in a webinar organised by an Indian media organisation. After my presentation, a member of the audience asked why Indians should be interested in democracy at all. Was it not a western idea foisted upon the rest of the world? Would developing countries not be better off with traditional autocracies?
I was both disturbed and pleased by this question — disturbed because it says something when a member