Variable: Liberal democracy index

QoG Code: (vdem_libdem)


Dataset: Varieties of Democracy Dataset version 13

Description:

Liberal democracy index
Question: To what extent is the ideal of liberal democracy achieved?

Clarification: The liberal principle of democracy emphasizes the importance of protecting individual
and minority rights against the tyranny of the state and the tyranny of the majority. The liberal model takes a "negative" view of political power insofar as it judges the quality of democracy by the limits placed on government. This is achieved by constitutionally protected civil liberties, strong rule of law, an independent judiciary, and effective checks and balances that, together, limit the exercise of executive power. To make this a measure of liberal democracy, the index also takes the level of electoral democracy into account.

Type of variable: Continuous

Downloaded by QoG on: 2023-09-05
Last updated by source: 2023-02-22


Categories:

Political System


Find this variable in:

Basic Cross-section - 2025 Basic Time-series - 2025 OECD Cross-section - 2025 OECD Time-series - 2025 Standard Cross-section - 2025 Standard Time-series - 2025 Original Dataset

Details of this variable in our compilations datasets
Dataset No. Countries
Basic cross-section: 172
Basic time-series: 175
Standard cross-section: 172
Standard time-series: 175
OECD cross-section: 32
OECD time-series: 32

Dataset Available for years:
Standard time-series: 1946-2023
Basic time-series: 1946-2023
OECD time-series: 1946-2023

This variable has information for these countries:

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This variable has information from the year 1946 to the year 2022