Introduction
This study will compare three countries: Iran, Mexico, and Singapore. Linking highly similar scenarios with different dependent variables is the basis of the Most Similar Systems Design (MSSD) technique. The MSSD design is suitable for matching the three countries because they share almost similar cultural values, but exhibit different outcomes in terms of the level of democracy. It is assumed that connecting analogous cases with different results will simplify the analyst’s task of controlling confusing variables and identifying the independent variable.
Theory and Literature
Democratic resilience is weakened by income inequality, as it exacerbates social cohesion issues, intensifies political polarization, and erodes support for and confidence in democracy. Income inequality brings about social classes, which is the IV in the hypothesis section. States all over the world implement various welfare systems with wildly varying results to control the disruptive impacts of inequality. Despite exposure to capitalism, some nations, including Iran, Mexico, and Singapore, remained underdeveloped and impoverished in the post-World War II era (Hosoi, 2019). To do this, they would require assistance from Western corporations and governments through aid and investment.
To encourage economic progress, the three nations had to industrialize and adopt Western cultural ideals through the theory of cultural modernization. Cultural innovation, the cultural economy, and cultural modernization are becoming ever more significant in the 21st century (Cochrane, 2017).
Modernization theory, which sought to disseminate an industrialized, capitalist developmental model through the advocacy of Western democratic principles, emerged in this environment in the late 1940s (Tolstoy, 2021). It was intended to offer a uniquely non-communist answer to suffering in developing countries. Modernity in the cultural sphere is referred to as “cultural modernization,” reflecting the broader phenomenon of modernization (Sudakova, 2020). Cultural modernization theory is a field-based theory in the field of modernization theories.
Hypothesis and Method
Predictor Variable (IV)
The most extensively researched determinant of democracy is income equality. The famous claim made by Lambert was that nations with higher wealth levels are more likely to be democratic (Lambert, 2017). The wealthiest 20% of households in Mexico earn ten times more than the 20% with the lowest incomes.
In an aggregate OECD economy, the top 20% of households earn around five times more than the bottom 20% of households. In Singapore, the median household income per person in the bottom 10% climbed from $381 in 2010 to $560 in 2020, a 47% rise. Therefore, the household income of each member in the top 10% increased from $9,669 to $13,400, a 38.6% increase (Shamakhov, 2021).
In Iran, 20% of the population, with the most significant income, controls 47% of the country’s wealth. The 20% with the lowest pay hold only 0.5% of the wealth, according to a study by the Statistical Center of Iran (Shamakhov, 2021). This variable was measured using the interval scale of measurement. An interval scale is a suitable way of operationalizing fundamental theories because it allows for the arbitrary measurement of numerical values.
Control Variable (CV)
In a liberal democracy, the administration of justice, the defense of fundamental liberties, the provision of public safety, and the distribution of social and economic advantages cannot be made without regard for individuals or groups. Iran has a liberal democracy index interval, ranging from low to high (0-0.5), from 1900 to 2021 (V-Dem, 2022). The Party of Advocates for Progress (PAP), composed of MPs who represented southerners and were active during the second term of the Majlis (1909-1911), promoted the development of Persia’s southern districts.
Mexico’s liberation movement was part of a broader nineteenth-century political movement that opposed established authority and had a significant impact on Western Europe, the Americas, and even the United States. Mexico has a liberal democracy Index Interval, from low to high (0-1), from 1900 to 2021. Liberalism in Mexico has attempted to establish the equality of everyone before the law as a fundamental human right. Singapore has a liberal democracy index ranging from low to high (0-1) from 1965 to 2021 (V-Dem, 2022).
The PAP has repeatedly opposed liberal democratic values, characterizing them as Western. It maintains that there should not be a “one-size-fits-all” solution to a democracy. An interval scale was used to measure this variable, as it is suitable for capturing the theory’s underlying concepts, given that the statistics from the V-Dem data source were available within specific ranges.
Outcome Variable (DV)
In a democratic society, the media should ideally contribute to forming a critical nongovernmental voice, act as a check on government abuses, and inform the public. Iran is one of the top five nations with the highest degree of telecommunications development and a growth rate exceeding 20%. Iran has received a special UNESCO designation for telecom services in rural areas. Iran’s telecom market, valued at $9.2 billion at the end of 2009 and anticipated to reach $12.9 billion by 2014 at a CAGR of 6.9%, was the fourth-biggest industry in the area (World Values Study, 2022).
Better infrastructure and a well-resourced transportation system were gifts from the colonial era to Singapore. The Singaporean government invested a significant amount of time and money in further enhancing these areas after gaining independence. Wireless broadband penetration reached 73.2% in December 2020, while mobile penetration stood at 48.2%. Singaporeans are well-connected, devoted tech users and insatiable data consumers. In Mexico, there are 117 million active connections, with a wireless penetration rate of 93.3% (World Values Study, 2022).
A unique feature of this study is the nation’s total coverage by broadband Internet, which creates a special connection point. For the analysis, the DV was measured on an interval scale. This choice is theoretically sound because the scale’s quantities enable the accurate application of all basic arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, etc.), making it an excellent means to capture the underlying theories.
Results and Analysis
Regarding the table below, an interval scale was used to measure all three variables. The IV is within the interval of 20-93.3%, with Mexico having the highest value at 93.3%, Iran the lowest value at 20%, and Singapore at 73.2%. The CV ranges from 0.5% to 47%, with Iran having the lowest, Mexico the average, and Singapore the highest (Shamakhov, 2021). The outcome variable lies in the interval of 0-10, with Iran having a range of 0-0.5, and Mexico and Singapore each having a range of 0-1.
Table 1: World Values Study 2022, V-DEM 2020.
The interval scale is an excellent way to operationalize the underlying concepts from the theory, as it enables comparison of the magnitude of one attribute in relation to another. For example, the IV has been compared to the DV in this case.
Media is the independent variable, equality is the CV, and liberal democracy index is the dependent variable. Mexico has the highest value of government censorship effort and democracy rating. In contrast, Iran has the lowest value of government censorship effort and the lowest democracy rating.
The data support the study hypothesis since keeping equality constant means that the independent variable is proportional to the DV. Singapore’s independent variable is 73.2%, whereas Mexico’s is 93.3%. Both countries are closely tied to high levels of democracy. However, Iran’s independent variable value is 20% and it has the lowest democracy rating.
Conclusion
In terms of democracy, Singapore and Mexico are far more democratic than Iran. The essence of the democratic nation has been studied and discussed for a long time by academics and social scientists. The data show a stark contrast: Mexico leads with the highest scores in both government censorship efforts and democracy ratings, while Iran registers the lowest values for both metrics. This is because the rate of government censorship improvements in Iran is 20%, Mexico at 93.3%, Singapore at 73.2% and their liberal democracy index is 0-0.5 in Iran and 0-1 in Mexico and Singapore.
The data proves that government censorship efforts, equality, and liberalism are indicators of democracy. A country’s level of cultural and economic development is a significant factor in determining its level of democracy. The level of a country’s modernity could be considered in this study to make the analysis more robust. A nation can support democratic forms of administration to a greater extent as its degree of socioeconomic development increases with modernization.
References
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