Katika karibu tafiti zote za maendeleo, demokrasia inachukuliwa kuwa sharti la maendeleo, iwe ni maendeleo ya kiuchumi au ya kiteknolojia na kisayansi. Mancur Olson (Chuo Kikuu cha Maryland), mwanauchumi maarufu duniani, katika kitabu chake kilichoshinda tuzo, ‘Power and Prosperity’ (2000), alieleza kwamba demokrasia kwa ujumla huendelea na kupiga hatua ikilinganishwa na mifumo mingine ya utawala. Olson alisema kwamba chini ya machafuko watu wana motisha ya kuiba na kuharibu tu, wakati dikteta ana motisha ya kuhimiza kiwango fulani cha mafanikio ya kiuchumi, kwa kuwa atatarajia kubaki madarakani muda wa kutosha kujichukulia sehemu yake. Katika demokrasia, anaona kwamba ulinzi wa raia wake na mali zao huleta ustawi mkubwa zaidi, kwa kuwa viongozi wanaweza kuondolewa kwa kura sandukuni. Olson aliona katika mwelekeo wa demokrasia mbegu za ustaarabu, zikitengeneza njia kwa ustawi, ambao huboresha motisha ya utawala bora kwa kuulinganisha kwa karibu zaidi na matakwa ya wananchi.

In almost all studies of development, democracy is considered a prerequisite for progress, be it economic or technological and scientific advancement. Mancur Olsen (University of Maryland) the world renowned economist presented in his award winning book ‘Power and Prosperity’ (2000) that democracies generally develop and progress relative to other systems of governance. Olson argued that under anarchy there is an incentive only to steal and destroy, whilst a dictator has an incentive to encourage a degree of economic success, since he will expect to be in power long enough to take a share of it. In democracies he observes that the protection of one’s citizens and property leads to greater prosperity as leaders could be removed at the ballot box. Olson saw in the move to democracy the seeds of civilization, paving the way for prosperity, which improves incentives for good government by more closely aligning it with the wishes of the population.

Utafiti mwingine umefikia hata kufanya demokrasia kuwa sharti la mafanikio ya kiuchumi. Evan Rodrik, mtaalamu wa sayansi ya siasa katika Chuo Kikuu cha Illinois, ameeleza kwamba "demokrasia, kama 'taasisi-mama', husaidia kujenga taasisi nyingine, na demokrasia ndiyo taasisi pekee inayofaa kuwa sharti la mafanikio." (2) Ingawa hakuna ufafanuzi wa demokrasia unaokubaliwa na kila mtu, kuna kanuni mbili ambazo ufafanuzi wowote wa demokrasia lazima uwe nazo. Kanuni ya kwanza ni kwamba wanachama wote wa jamii wana upatikanaji sawa wa madaraka, na ya pili ni kwamba wanachama wote wanafurahia uhuru na haki zinazotambulika kwa ujumla.

Other research has even made democracy a precondition for economic success. Evan Rodrik political science expert at the University of Illinois argued that “democracy as the ‘meta institution’ helps build other institutions and democracy is the only appropriate institutional conditionally for success.” (2) Even though there is no universally accepted definition of democracy there are two principles that any definition of democracy is required to have. The first principle is that all members of the society have equal access to power and the second that all members enjoy universally recognised freedoms and liberties.

Uchunguzi wa haraka tu kwa mataifa yanayoendelea kutetea mtazamo kama huo, na yanayoendelea kuingilia mambo ya dunia nzima kwa jina la demokrasia, unaonyesha kwamba hoja hiyo haina uzito. Kwa kweli, sehemu kubwa ya ulimwengu ulioendelea ilikua kupitia sera zisizo za kidemokrasia, na kuna hoja kwamba kutokuwepo kwa demokrasia kunasaidia maendeleo. Upigaji kura ulipoanzishwa kwa mara ya kwanza katika Magharibi, ulikuwa umewekewa kikomo kwa kundi dogo sana la wanaume wenye ardhi na mali, huku idadi ya kura ikitofautiana kulingana na kipimo kilichotegemea mali, elimu na umri. Nchini Marekani, wanaume weusi walipewa haki ya kupiga kura kwa mara ya kwanza katika Sheria ya Haki za Kupiga Kura ya mwaka 1965, baada ya harakati za haki za kiraia. Ingawa walikuwa wameruhusiwa kupiga kura mwaka 1870 kwa marekebisho ya kumi na tano ya katiba, ambayo yalikataza kumnyima mtu haki ya kupiga kura kwa sababu ya rangi au asili yake, majimbo ya Kusini yaliwanyima haki hiyo kwa kutumia kodi ya kura na masharti ya umiliki wa mali, yaliyotekelezwa na serikali kuu.

A cursory glance at the nations who continue to advocate such a view and who continue to intervene around the world in the name of democracy illustrates that such an argument holds no weight. In fact much of the developed world developed through antidemocratic polices and there is an argument that the absence of democracy aids development. When voting was first introduced in the West it was confined to a very small minority of land and property-owning men with an unequal number of votes apportioned according to a scale based on property, educational achievement and age. In the US, black males were only given voting rights in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 after the civil rights movement. Although they were permitted to vote in 1870 by the fifteenth amendment to the constitution which would not deny vote to anyone on account of race and colour, Southern sates were disfranchised through the use of poll tax and property conditions by central government.

Ufaransa mwaka 1830 ilitoa haki ya kupiga kura kwa wale tu walio na umri wa zaidi ya miaka 30 na waliolipa faranga 300 kama kodi ya moja kwa moja, jambo ambalo lilikuwa karibu 0.02% ya idadi ya watu milioni 32. Mwaka 1848 upigaji kura kwa wanaume ukawa wa wote, na ilikuwa wakati wa Vita vya Pili vya Dunia tu ndipo Ufaransa iliporuhusu wanawake kupiga kura, muda mrefu baada ya kuwa imeendelea kiviwanda. Japani ilipata upigaji kura wa wote baada ya kufikia kilele chake cha kijeshi, na hata hapo ilikuwa sharti lililowekwa na Marekani ili kugawanya madaraka mbali na utawala wa awali. Marekani iliona inafaa kuipa Japani haki kamili ya kupiga kura kufikia mwaka 1952, lakini ikaona zilihitajika miaka 13 zaidi kuwapa raia wake wenyewe haki hizo sawa! Mwaka 1800, ambao unachukuliwa kuwa kilele cha ubora wa kikoloni wa Uingereza, ni 3% tu ya wakazi wa Uingereza walikuwa na haki ya kupiga kura. Ni wapiga kura waliomiliki maeneo makubwa ya ardhi katika mkusanyiko wa wilaya zilizoundwa zama za kati ndio waliweza kuwachagua wajumbe wa Baraza la Commons. Mfumo huu ulinyima haki ya kupiga kura wafanyabiashara, watengenezaji bidhaa, na wafanyakazi wenye ujuzi ambao hawakumiliki ardhi. Maeneo yaliyokuwa na ustawi mamia ya miaka mapema yalikuwa na wawakilishi wengi kupita kiasi bungeni, huku miji mipya mingi ikiwa haina mwakilishi kabisa. Baadhi ya viti vya bunge vilimilikiwa kwa kweli na watu binafsi. Kufikia mwaka 1867, 13% ya wakazi walikuwa na haki ya kupiga kura. Ilichukua hadi mwaka 1928 (miaka 61 zaidi) kabla ya wanaume na wanawake kupewa haki sawa za kupiga kura. Demokrasia hakika ilikuja baada ya maendeleo, na haikuchangia chochote katika kupanda kwa Uingereza.