Conclusion
With the dominant ideology in the world prescribing a free-market econ-
omy, there are very powerful pressures being applied to Third World coun-
tries to liberalize their economies and transform their polities in the
direction of pluralism. Hence the current interest in what is needed to
restore democracy as well as how to make it function effectively so that its
legitimacy becomes firmly established. The significance of economic devel-
opment to democracy shows how important it is to recognize that political
reform cannot sensibly be pursued in isolation from measures designed to
strengthen the performance of Third World economies. It is right to assert
the importance of political prerequisites of democracy and the status of eco-
nomic factors as necessary but not sufficient conditions for consolidation.
But it is important that political preconditions should not be part of one’s
definition of democracy, lest theorizing becomes merely tautological.
It is also important to understand that democracy is a contested concept.
The choice of a particular definition – electoral competition, decision-making
procedures, civil and political rights, or the distribution of power within
society – may reflect an ideological or normative position on the part of the
user that should be acknowledged.
274 Understanding Third World Politics