This pillar of the SGI examines the quality of democracy in each country. From the perspective of long-term system stability and political performance, the quality of democracy and political participation are crucial aspects of a society's success. The stability and performance of a political system depends in large part upon the assent and confidence of its citizens. Democratic participation and oversight are also essential to genuine learning and adaptation processes, and to the ability to change. In this sense, guaranteeing opportunities for democratic participation and oversight, as well as the presence of due process and respect for civil rights, are fundamental prerequisites for the legitimacy of a political system. The quality of democracy in each country is measured against a definitional norm that considers issues relating to participation rights, electoral competition, access to information and the rule of law. Given that all OECD and EU member states constitute democracies, the questions posed here focus on the quality rather than the presence of democracy. Individual indicators monitor the following criteria:

1. Electoral processes.
2. Access to information.
3. Civil rights and political liberties.
4. Rule of law.