Social Science (087) — CBSE Class 10 board question

Democracy is considered better than other forms of government for the following reasons:

1. Accountable and Legitimate Government: Democracy produces a government accountable to citizens. It is a legitimate government — people's own government — elected by their own representatives, which is why it enjoys overwhelming public support worldwide.

1. Transparency: Decision-making is based on norms and procedures. Citizens have the right to examine how decisions are made, which is largely absent in non-democratic governments.

1. Promotes Equality and Dignity: Democracy promotes equality among citizens and enhances the dignity of the individual.

1. Conflict Resolution: It provides a method to resolve conflicts and allows room to correct mistakes through deliberation and negotiation.

1. Economic Performance: Though dictatorships show slightly higher growth rates overall, the difference in poor countries is negligible (4.34% vs 4.28%). Democracy offers several other positive outcomes that outweigh this marginal difference.

Thus, while democracy may be slow or inefficient, it remains far better than any alternative form of government.

Source: Chapter 5 — Outcomes of Democracy

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• Examiners expect 5 distinct points for a 5-mark question — each point earns ~1 mark.
• Always mention legitimacy — this is the textbook's strongest argument for democracy over non-democracy.
• The economic growth data (Table 1) is frequently tested; note that the difference in poor countries is negligible.
• Avoid writing vague general statements; use textbook terminology like "transparency," "accountable," "legitimate."
• Do not over-explain; one crisp sentence per point is sufficient.