Democracy Index

Name of Organization: 
Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA)
Geographical Scope: 
Type of Initiatives:
Country
Regions:
  • Africa
Country:
  • South Africa
Purpose: 
The Democracy Index is intended to provide a mechanism by which South Africans can evaluate how democratic their country is. Five areas have been identified and a set of questions posed for each area. The five areas are listed below:
 
  1. Consensus on and Participation in Popular Self-Government
  2. Popular Selection of Decision-makers
  3. Popular Control over Decision-makers
  4. Equality
  5. Human Dignity
The answers to these questions indicate whether democracy is faring better or worse in each area, what reforms may be necessary and emerging threats to the democratic order. This assessment should not be viewed as a static statement but rather as a tool in the development process.
Area of Governance : 
Democracy
Publications: 
Paul Graham & Alice Coetzee (Eds) (2002) In the Balance: Debating the State of Democracy in South Africa. Cape Town: Idasa. Richard Calland, Genesis & Evolution of Idasa's Democracy Index. The People Shall Govern! Democracy Index 2004.
Source of Data: 
Own source of data
Type of Data Collection: 
Administrative Data
Panel of experts
Specifications of type of data collection: 
In the 2002 Index, published as "In the Balance? Debating the State of Democracy in South Africa", IDASA employed a careful methodology for answering the Index.
 
Five analysts wrote chapters under each of the main headings, and 'scored' their answers for each indicator. For the 2004 Index, IDASA has retained the system of five analysts (albeit five different ones), but it has unburdened them the responsibility of 'scoring' their responses to the Index. Instead, Idasa will offer a scorecard based on their analysis and its own response to it.
Measurement Methods / Tools Generated or Used : 
Idasa drew on a growing experience around the world in attempting to measure democracy. One of the best models, subsequently adapted by International IDEA as it sought to 'universalize' a democratic yardstick, was the UK democratic audit. The UK audit rotated around two key principles, that adapted by us are:
 
  1. The extent to which South Africans can control those who make collective decisions about public affairs; and
  2. The extent to which South Africans are equal to one another in this process.
List of Indicators: 
So far as the Index is concerned, the 2004 version has been refined by condensing some of the indicators and simplifying certain sections. Thus, the list of indicators now stands at the congenially round figure of 100.
Main Users: 
Civil society
Policy makers
Researchers