The fourth pillar concerns the international dimensions of democracy. Its rationale is that countries do not form isolated units but are mutually interdependent, especially in their degree of democratic progress. So it is entirely relevant to consider how far the external profile of a country’s policy is supportive of democracy abroad. Ideally, in any global survey of democracy, the democratic character of the key international institutions, such as the World Bank and the United Nations (UN), should also be the subject of assessment, alongside that of individual countries. For reasons of space this cannot be undertaken here. However, we have included considerations of how far a country’s internal policy is determined by unaccountable external powers in our assessment framework at this point. Again, this has been especially urged in contributions from experts in the South.
In federal systems of government, these international aspects may be more clearly relevant at the federal than the level of the individual state. Any assessment of countries with a federal structure will depend on the precise distribution of functions and powers between the different levels. Although assessing such countries, whether at federal or state level, or some combination of the two, will be more complicated than assessing a unitary state, our framework is applicable to both levels, and can readily be adjusted to the circumstances of the particular country.
See also
Citizenship, law and rights Representable and accountable government Civil society and popular participation
