Theoretical discussion on the quality of democracy in the South American and Ecuadorian context

Abstract

The objective of this work is to contrast nine methods of democracy quality measurement in the world and to highlight the positive and negative aspects of each of them, to end with an analysis of the factors that contribute to the reliability of such methods. The methods are Freedom House, Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP), Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI), Democracy Assessment: International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI), Latin American Democratic Development Index (IDD-LAT), Levine and Molina (2011), and V-Dem (Coppedge et al., 2019). Initially, the work revises the different definitions of democracy and quality that affect its measurement. Then, it looks at the different methodologies applied. Finally, it concludes with a heartfelt need to reformulate some methodological approaches that more accurately reflect endemic elements of each region and country. This is done without falling into simplifying homogenization and with the expectation of its application in South America, particularly in Ecuador.