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Quadruple Helix Structures of Quality of Democracy in Innovation Systems: the USA, OECD Countries, and EU Member Countries in Global Comparison

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Abstract

The analytical research question of this contribution is twofold. (1) To develop (and to proto-type) a conceptual framework of analysis for a global comparison of quality of democracy. This framework also references to the concept of the “Quadruple Helix innovation systems” (Carayannis and Campbell). (2) The same conceptual framework is being used and tested for comparing and measuring empirical quality of democracy in the different OECD and European Union (EU27) member countries. In theoretical and conceptual terms, we refer to a Quadruple-Dimensional structure, also a Quadruple Helix structure (a “Model of Quadruple Helix Structures”) of the four basic (conceptual) dimensions of freedom, equality, control, and sustainable development for explaining and comparing democracy and quality of democracy. Put in summary, we may conclude for the USA that the comparative strength of quality of democracy in the USA focuses on the dimension of freedom. The comparative weakness of the quality of democracy in the USA lies in the dimension of equality, most importantly income equality. Quadruple Helix refers here to at least two crucial perspectives: (1) the unfolding of an innovative knowledge economy also requires (at least in a longer perspective) the unfolding of a knowledge democracy; (2) knowledge and innovation are being defined as key for sustainable development and for the further evolution of quality of democracy. How to innovate (and reinvent) knowledge democracy? There is a potential that democracy discourses and innovation discourses advance in a next-step and two-way mutual cross-reference. The architectures of Quadruple Helix (and Quintuple Helix) innovation systems demand and require the formation of a democracy, implicating that quality of democracy provides for a support and encouragement of innovation and innovation systems, so that quality of democracy and progress of innovation mutually “Cross-Helix” in a connecting and amplifying mode and manner. This relates research on quality of democracy to research on innovation (innovation systems) and the knowledge economy. “Cyber democracy” receives here a new and important meaning.

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Notes

  1. See also the Web site of “Arts, Research, Innovation and Society” (ARIS): http://www.dieangewandte.at/aris

  2. Most, however not all, member countries of the EU are also member countries to the OECD.

  3. Quotes from original sources in German were translated into English by the authors of this analysis.

  4. Since our analysis is more explorative in character (wanting to test the design of a developed comparative framework), the year 2010 qualifies as sufficiently recent.

  5. This reference year of 2012 explains why we did not include Croatia into our analysis. Croatia joined the European Union as late as 2013 (creating by this the EU28).

  6. For further contextual information, see: Beetham 2004; Cullell et al. 2004; Freedom House 2011d;Kuhn 1962; O’Donnell 2004b; Pelinka & Rosenberger 2003; Rosenberger & Seeber 2008; Schmitter 2004; Umpleby 1990; and Wiener 1948.

  7. These dimensions we want to interpret as “Basic Dimensions” of democracy and of the quality of democracy.

  8. Visit for more detailed information the website of the Democracy Ranking at http://democracyranking.org/

  9. In the Figs. 3 and 4, we propose to interpret these two dimensions, introduced by Dahl, as “Secondary Dimensions” for describing democracy and democracy quality for the objective of measuring democracy.

  10. According to Freedom House (2011b), in the year 1980, no less than 42.5 % of the world population lived in “not free” political contexts. By 2010, this share dropped to 35.4 %.

  11. For a comprehensive web site address for all Human Development Reports that is publicly accessible for free downloads, see http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2011/

  12. For a systematic attempt of empirical assessment on possible linkages between democracy and development, see Przeworski et al. (2003).

  13. It cannot be convincingly argued that there are no data or indicators for a comparative measurement of democracy (at least in the recent years). Of course, there can and should be discussions about the quality of these data and their cross-references to theory of democracy.

  14. See http://www.prio.no/CSCW/Datasets/Governance/Vanhanens-index-of-democracy

  15. See http://www.systemicpeace.org/polity/polity4.htm

  16. See http://www.eiu.com/public/topical_report.aspx?campaignid=demo2010

  17. See http://www.democracybarometer.org/

  18. The original quote in German is “Das Democracy Barometer geht davon aus, dass Demokratie durch die drei Prinzipien Freiheit, Kontrolle und Gleichheit sichergestellt wird.” See http://www.democracybarometer.org/concept_de.html

  19. See http://www.idea.int/

  20. For an overview, see http://www.idea.int/sod/worldwide/reports.cfm

  21. In the meantime, this book already can be downloaded for free as a whole and complete PDF from the web. Visit the following link: http://www.ssoar.info/ssoar/View/?resid=12473

  22. “Grundrechte” here may be interpreted as human rights as they are being proposed by Guillermo O’Donnell (2004a, pp. 12, 47).

  23. In reference to the already mentioned basic dimensions of democracy and the quality of democracy, the power-balancing structures (“Macht-ausbalancierenden Strukturen” or “Macht-ausgleichenden Strukturen”) may be aligned to the dimension of control (see Lauth 2004, pp. 77–96).

  24. Partially, in Tables 1 and 2, we had to estimate, to which calendar year a specific index year referred to.

  25. For the process of re-scaling the freedom of press and the Gini coefficient, we therefore had to shift reversely the value direction of the primary data, to make values (data) compatible with the other indicators.

  26. Therefore, put in contrast, a comparison of the indicators in Table 1 and 2 should allow for a better and more nuanced interpretation of the different countries and their quality of democracy (OECD, EU27).

  27. Acronyms in Tables 1 and 2 have the following meaning: US = United States and UK = United Kingdom.

  28. Concerning the Gini coefficient (re-scaled as income equality) in the Tables 1 and 2, we interpreted 2009 as the approximate year of reference for the calendar year. The OECD online data base (OECD 2011) speaks in this respect of the “Late 2000s.”

  29. See also http://www.democracyranking.org/en/

  30. See also on the web the newest and most recent scores of the Democracy Ranking 2014: http://democracyranking.org/?page_id=828

  31. We will also add a few comments on quality of democracy in Austria.

  32. Interestingly, with regard to political rights and civil liberties, the USA ranks behind Austria.

  33. Levels of corruption are being perceived to be higher in the USA than in Austria.

  34. In the Democracy Ranking 2011, Austrian democracy scores higher than the USA.

  35. On migrant integration policy, Austria scores dramatically lower than the USA.

  36. Thought about this from a different angle, it also would be possible to compare the different (50) states of the USA individually with the different (national) member countries to the European Union. In that sense, the whole USA also resembles an “aggregation”; therefore, it makes additional sense to compare the USA with an aggregation of the EU member countries.

  37. On political freedom and income equality, the EU15 is internationally more competitive than the EU27 (Campbell 2013, pp. 336, 340).

  38. Does this furthermore mark “archetypical” differences in political philosophy?

  39. Focusing more specifically on the situation of Austrian democracy, the following publications deal with quality of Austrian democracy by referring (in greater detail) to a wider spectrum of themes: Beetham 1994; Campbell 2002, pp. 30–31, 39; Campbell 2007, pp. 392–393, 402; Campbell 2011; Campbell 2015; IDEA 2008; Müller and Strøm 2000, p. 589; Pelinka 2008; Poier 2001; Rosenberger 2010; Sickinger 2009; Valchars 2006; Wineroither 2009.

  40. See also forthcoming Carayannis et al. (2017).

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Correspondence to David F. J. Campbell.

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Campbell, D.F.J., Carayannis, E.G. & Rehman, S.S. Quadruple Helix Structures of Quality of Democracy in Innovation Systems: the USA, OECD Countries, and EU Member Countries in Global Comparison. J Knowl Econ 6, 467–493 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-015-0246-7

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