Use the Passage Below and Your Knowledge of World History

question 66

Essay

Use the passage below and your knowledge of world history to answer all parts of the question that follows.
"In the summer of 1997 I was asked . . . what I thought was the most important thing that happened in the twentieth century. . . . I did not . . . have any difficulty in choosing . . .: the rise of democracy.
It is often claimed that non-democratic systems are better at bringing about economic development. This belief sometimes goes by the name of the "Lee hypothesis" due to the advocacy of Lee Kuan Yew, the leader and former president of Singapore. . . . There is, in fact, no convincing general evidence that authoritarian governance and the suppression of political and civil rights are really beneficial to economic development. Indeed, the general statistical picture does not permit any such induction. . . . If all the statistical studies are viewed together, the hypothesis that there is no clear relation between economic growth and democracy in either direction remains extremely plausible. Since democracy and political liberty have importance in themselves, the case for them remains untarnished. . . . We must go beyond the narrow confines of economic growth and scrutinize the broader demands of economic development, including the need for economic and social security. . . . Political and civil rights give people the opportunity to draw attention forcefully to general needs and to demand appropriate public action."
Democracy as a Universal Value Amartya Sen Princeton University Press, 1999
(A) Identify ONE example of an authoritarian government that experienced rapid economic advancement in the latter half of the twentieth century.
(B) Describe ONE economic advantage that nondemocratic states may have over democratic ones.
(C) Explain ONE reason why Sen believes democratic states are better equipped to meet the needs of their citizens.

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Definitions:

Migration Costs

Expenses and sacrifices associated with moving from one location to another, which can include monetary costs, emotional strain, and time.

Substitute Resources

Resources or inputs that can be used in place of each other in the production process.

Inelastic

Describes a situation where a change in price leads to a relatively smaller change in the quantity demanded or supplied.

Remittances

Money sent by migrants back to their home countries, often to support family members financially.