Q1: Does globalization automatically strengthen democracy in developing countries?

Q2: Under what conditions does globalization strengthen democracy?

Big Picture Takeaway

Rudra’s main message is that globalization itself is not the problem. The problem is globalization without institutional support. Developing countries are especially vulnerable because they often have weaker welfare systems and fewer resources to cushion economic shocks. Democracy survives and strengthens when governments actively manage globalization rather than leaving markets to operate without protection.

Q3: Why are developing countries more politically vulnerable to globalization?

Q4: Why might elites resist democracy during globalization?

Q5: How does Rudra challenge the idea that markets naturally produce democracy?

Q6: What role does state capacity play in globalization’s democratic effects?

Q7: Is globalization itself the problem, or is weak domestic policy the problem?

There are two more subtle but important things that are easy to miss:

1️⃣ Rudra is testing a conditional theory, not making a moral claim

2️⃣ Elites are central to her theory

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