Introduction: How to Conceptualize Democracy, Quality of Democracy in Global Comparison and Democracy as Innovation Enabler

Abstract

Quality of democracy can also be associated with knowledge democracy. Knowledge democracy emphasizes the importance of knowledge and innovation for the quality of democracy and the sustainable development of democracy, society and economy. Expectations are that democracies with a higher quality of democracy also will be knowledge democracies. “Democracy as Innovation Enabler” has here at least the following meanings: (1) political pluralism in a democracy encourages also a diversity of knowledge and innovation (“Democracy of Knowledge”) that is necessary for development (also economic development and economic growth); (2) advanced economies are driven by knowledge and innovation, so they require a democracy; (3) in principle, “democracy as innovation enabler” also applies to emerging and developing economies, but may not always be realized and applied. The research questions of the analysis here focus on: How to conceptualize and to measure democracy and the quality of democracy in global comparison? The outcome will be the conceptualizing and measuring of quality of democracy in a word-wide format and context. This also will be tested for the proposition (hypothesis) of “democracy as innovation enabler” (which also represents a complementary research question for the analysis).