Benefits and outcomes 129 Introduction 129 Democracy qua democracy 130 Democratic peace 136 Economic benefits 137 Environmental outcomes 140 Summary 142 Suggestions for further reading 142 Note 143 10 Hopes and challenges 145 A tale of three women 145 Abundance and freedom 148 Democracy and human rights 149 Waves and setbacks 151 Evidence and explanations 152 Agents and advocates 153 Truth and justice 155 Threats and pitfalls 155 Benefits and outcomes 157 A precarious triumph 157 References 159 Index 171 aCKnoWLedGemenTsThis is a book that has been many years in gestation, as I have taken my academic research and teaching interests into a variety of international consultancies in over 35 countries around the world. My teaching and research in the areas of development, democracy and human rights provided a foundation in theories, comparative methods and strategies for measurement and assessment that have proved useful for a large number of international governmental and non-governmental organizations. My work has taken me to countries across Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. I have met wonderful people in all these countries and many who are passionate about politics, changing their own societies and fighting for democracy and human rights. I have taught hundreds of students at the University of Essex, the European Master's Degree in Human Rights and Democratization, a Romanian summer school in research methods, a research design course at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute in Vienna, a Chinese human rights research methods training programme and numerous other seminars, workshops and conferences around the world. I am grateful to the main inter-governmental, governmental and non-governmental organizations with whom I have worked, including the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA),