Culture, democracy and democratization: Cultural values and democracy values

The present study explores the relationship between democracy (measured by the Freedom in the World index (FIW) and cultural values (by employing Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions). The results from the linear regression indicate the presence of a number of cultures with affinity toward the values associated with the popular imagery of what constitutes democratic rule. These analyses resulted in the identification of positive outliers—countries with low affinity to democratic values but higher than expected democracy scores. Some points of interest are suggested in relation to the identified outliers and their comparison with Cultural Neighbors—countries with physical or historical bonds. Finally, through simple correlation, some connections are proposed between the measured items in order to identify critical cultural elements for democracy and democratization.