The review discusses Axel Hadenius's book "Democracy and Development," which aims to assess the state of democratization in 132 Third World countries using indices. The book evaluates these countries based on criteria such as election openness, political freedom, and political violence. The results show that North America (including the Caribbean) leads with 67% democratization, followed by Asia with 34% and the Middle East/North Africa with 10%. Africa south of the Sahara ranks last at 9%. The reviewer notes that while the criteria are well-justified, the subjective nature of categorizing countries into fixed categories limits the reliability of the index. The second part of the book examines theoretical conditions for Western-style democracy, finding positive correlations with capitalist economic systems, extensive trade relations with the U.S., high literacy rates, and Christian dominance. However, ethnic fragmentation and interventionist military forces are seen as negative factors. The reviewer concludes that the study provides an interesting overview of democratization trends and determinants but cautions that the statistical data should be critically evaluated.The review discusses Axel Hadenius's book "Democracy and Development," which aims to assess the state of democratization in 132 Third World countries using indices. The book evaluates these countries based on criteria such as election openness, political freedom, and political violence. The results show that North America (including the Caribbean) leads with 67% democratization, followed by Asia with 34% and the Middle East/North Africa with 10%. Africa south of the Sahara ranks last at 9%. The reviewer notes that while the criteria are well-justified, the subjective nature of categorizing countries into fixed categories limits the reliability of the index. The second part of the book examines theoretical conditions for Western-style democracy, finding positive correlations with capitalist economic systems, extensive trade relations with the U.S., high literacy rates, and Christian dominance. However, ethnic fragmentation and interventionist military forces are seen as negative factors. The reviewer concludes that the study provides an interesting overview of democratization trends and determinants but cautions that the statistical data should be critically evaluated.