Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

The argument is flawed. While data shows dictatorships have a slightly higher average growth rate (4.42%) compared to democracies (3.95%), this difference becomes negligible in poor countries (4.34% vs 4.28%). Economic development depends on many factors — population size, global situation, economic priorities — not just the form of government.

More importantly, economic growth rate alone is not a sufficient basis for choosing a government. Democracy offers far more: accountability, transparency, political equality, dignity of individuals, and legitimate governance. Democratic governments are people's own governments, which non-democratic regimes can never be.

Therefore, sacrificing democracy for marginally higher growth is unjustified.

Source: Democratic Politics II, Chapter 5 — Economic outcomes of democracy

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• Examiners expect you to directly challenge the claim using the data from the passage (growth rates).
• Key move: show the difference vanishes in poor countries — this directly dismantles the argument.
• Then explain why growth rate alone is insufficient — bring in accountability, legitimacy, dignity (non-economic outcomes).
• Avoid writing in essay style; use tight points or short paragraphs.
• Mentioning the exact figures (4.42 vs 3.95; 4.34 vs 4.28) earns marks for evidence-based reasoning.