The ability of democracy to generate its own support is itself an outcome that cannot be ignored. Analyse the statement with three examples.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 07:02 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Democracy's ability to generate its own support is a key outcome because people prefer it over all alternatives even when its performance is imperfect. Three examples:
- Overwhelming support in South Asia: Surveys show 88% of South Asians find democracy suitable for their country, including in nations like Pakistan and Nepal that lack stable democratic regimes.
- Preference over dictatorship: In countries like India (70%) and Sri Lanka (71%), people prefer democracy over dictatorship, showing faith in the system despite its shortcomings.
- Support for elected representatives: About 94% of South Asians agree with rule by elected leaders, proving democracy creates legitimacy that no non-democratic government can match.
Source: Outcomes of Democracy, Chapter 5
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Explanation
The examiner looks for the core idea — legitimacy as a self-sustaining outcome — supported by three distinct, specific examples drawn from the survey data in the chapter. Students often write vague points; using actual figures (88%, 70%, 94%) from the SDSA survey makes the answer precise and scoring. One point = one mark here, so keep each example crisp and separate.