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RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-6YMfz0lD0QFt2O9HatXKzreT7XTeZb2jIzJbiN1tdFxovA/viewform

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This lecture will explore the connections between degrees of democracy across governmental regimes - a hypothetical dimension from the strongest democracy to the weakest and most autocracy - with a government's problem-solving capacity. A common measure of democratic performance across the degrees of democracy is the strength of connection between public opinion and policies produced by government (e.g., Soroka and Wlezien 2010). A second approach, pursued here, is the connection between degrees of democracy and the regime’s problem-solving capacity. What elements of democracy lead to better problem-solving, and what elements of autocracy interfere with that capacity? There is a rich literature on this connection (Sen 1981; Jones, Epp, and Baumgartner, 2019), but mostly it treats democracies and autocracies as two categories rather than as a continuum.  Jones proposes a framework that allows for connecting degrees of democracies with problem-solving capacities, and links specifics of good problem-solving with elements of democracy. He offers some evidence relevant to that connection.

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