Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Measuring Polyarchy

  • On Measuring Democracy
  • Published:
Studies In Comparative International Development Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The authors have developed a scale based on Robert Dahl’s concept of polyarchy. The scale measures the degree to which national political systems meet the minimum requirements for political democracy, where real-world “democracies” rather than abstract ideals are the, standard. The Polyarchy Scale is constructed from indicators of freedom of expression, freedom of organization, media pluralism, and the holding of fair elections. The scale is (1) well grounded in democratic theory, (2) world-wide in scope., (3) demonstrably valid, (4) solves problems of weighting indicators and (5) is easy to interpret and replicate., Some limitations in the scale's applicability are discussed and suggestions are made for improvements and future research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • ALEXANDER, ROBERT J., ed. 1982Political parties of the Americas: Canada, Latin America, and the West Indies. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • BANKS, ARTHUR S., ed. 1985Political handbook of the world. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • BANKS, ARTHUR S. and ROBERT B. TEXTOR 1963A cross-polity survey. Cambridge: M.I.T. Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • BOLLEN, KENNETH A. 1988 Political democracy: Conceptual and measurement traps, paper prepared for conference on “The Measurement of Democracy” held at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, May 27–28, 1988.

  • 0 1980 Issues in the comparative measurement of political democracy.American Sociological Review 45 (June): 370–390.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DAHL, ROBERT A. 1971Polyarchy: Participation and opposition. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • 0 1982Dilemmas of pluralist democracy. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • DAHL, ROBERT A. and CHARLES LINDBLOM 1953Politics, economics, and welfare. New York: Harper and Brothers.

    Google Scholar 

  • DELURY, GEORGE E. ed. 1983World encyclopedia of political systems and parties. Harlow, Essex, UK: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • DEPARTMENT OF STATE See United States Government

  • DUNN-RANKIN PETER 1983Scaling methods. Hillsdale, N.J.: L. Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • EUROPA 1986The Europa yearbook. London: Europa Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • 0 1986aSouth America, Central America and the Caribbean. London: Europa Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • 0 1986bThe Far East and Australasia. London: Europa Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • 0 1986cAfrica south of the Sahara. London: Europa Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • 0 1986dThe Middle East and North Africa: A survey and directory of the countries of the Middle East. London: Europa Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • FUKUI, HARUHIRO, ed. 1985Political parties of Asia and the Pacific. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press

    Google Scholar 

  • GASTIL, RAYMOND L 1986Freedom in the world: Political rights and civil liberties, 1985–1986. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • GORDEN, RAYMOND L. 1977Unidimensional scaling of social variables: Concepts and procedures. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • HUMANA, CHARLES 1986World human rights guide. New York: Facts on File.

    Google Scholar 

  • McHALE, VINCENT E., ed. 1983Political parties of Europe. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McIVER, JOHN P. and EDWARD G. CARMINES 1981Unidimensional scaling. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • NUNNALLY, JUM C. 1967Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • PHILLIPS, CLAUDE S. 1984The African political dictionary. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-Clio.

    Google Scholar 

  • The statesman's year-book 1986Statistical and historical annual of the states of the world. London and New York: Macmillan, St. Martin's Press.

  • United States Government, Department of State 1986Country reports on human rights practices for 1985. Washington: United States Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watch Committees, The Lawyers Committee for Human Rights 1986Critique: Review of the Department of State's country reports on human rights. New York: Fund for Free Expression for the Watch Committees and the Watch Committees and the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Michael Coppedge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wolfgang H. Reinicke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Michael Coppedge is assistant professor in the Latin American Studies Program at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), 1740 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. He is completing a book on party factions and presidential democracy in Venezuela.

Wolfgang H. Reinicke is a Ph.D. candidate at Yale University and a research fellow at the Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. He is currently completing a dissertation on the politics of global integration in banking and finance.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Coppedge, M., Reinicke, W.H. Measuring Polyarchy. St Comp Int Dev 25, 51–72 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02716905

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02716905

Keywords

Search

Navigation