Abstract
Using the POLITY IV and Freedom House indices, Rowley and Smith (Public Choice 139(3–4):273, 2009) found that countries with Muslim majorities enjoy less freedom and are less democratic than countries in which Muslims are a minority. Because the POLITY IV and Freedom House indices have been criticized on several grounds, I reinvestigate Rowley and Smith’s finding using the new Democracy-Dictatorship data from Cheibub et al. (Public Choice 143(1–2):67, 2010). The empirical results confirm that countries with Muslim majorities are indeed less likely to be democratic.
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Potrafke, N. Islam and democracy. Public Choice 151, 185–192 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11127-010-9741-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11127-010-9741-3