AP® Comparative Government and Politics · Unit 1 · Topic 1.3
The Democracy and Authoritarianism Spectrum
Watch it explained
- How it worksHow do measures of elections, media, courts, and transparency place a country on that scale?
- Common mistakeWhy isn't holding an election enough to call a country a democracy?
- Worked exampleShow me where Russia lands once you score its elections, its press, and its courts separately.
- Going furtherWhat happens to a country's position when press freedom collapses but elections keep running?
Check yourself
Your turn1 of 2
A student assumes that any country holding a national election should be classified as a democracy. What is the flaw in using the mere presence of an election to classify a country as democratic?End of topic.