EIU Democracy Index
Also called: Democracy Index · Topic: Democracy: Forms of Government, Principles and Outcomes · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
This is a yearly index from the Economist Intelligence Unit, based in London. It scores countries on 60 indicators grouped into 5 categories. It then places each country in one of four groups: full democracy, flawed democracy, hybrid regime or authoritarian. A "flawed democracy" holds free elections but has weaknesses, such as in political culture or civil liberties.
Example
The EIU rates India a "flawed democracy". India's government has criticised such indices. An EAC-PM working paper (2022) called them Western-centred and based on perceptions, small expert panels and unclear weighting.
Don't confuse with
- V-Dem Democracy Report: it comes from Sweden and uses different categories, such as "electoral autocracy". It puts India lower than the EIU does.
Related concepts
- V-Dem Democracy Report
- Freedom in the World
- World Press Freedom Index
- Electoral autocracy
- Hybrid regime
- Illiberal democracy
- Democratic backsliding