An examination of the relationship between the quality of democracy, governance and life around the world over time.
Join us for lunch as we unveil a landmark project that analyzes the relationship between democratic accountability, state capacity and the provision of public goods to better understand why some countries fare better than others at providing a high quality of life.
The event will present the 2024 Berggruen Governance Index, which examines the relationship between the quality of democracy, the quality of governance, and the quality of life in over 140 countries over a 20-year period.
With democracy under threat and autocratic regimes on the rise across the globe, the BGI illuminates the twin fallacies of governance: one that assumes democracy alone will improve governance performance and the other that posits that only state capacity and financial resources are needed to improve a country´s quality of life.
As autocracies like China, Saudi Arabia and Russia rise economically, it’s more urgent than ever to ponder whether nations with low levels of democratic accountability can sustainably increase people’s quality of life to levels matching liberal market economies like the United States.
Does the BGI suggest that democracy is losing relevance in providing public goods like quality health care and education, or a clean environment?
Join us as experts and the audience debate such issues, followed by a reception.
AGENDA
Welcome and Opening Addresses
- Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Interim Dean, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
- Dawn Nakagawa, President, Berggruen Institute
The 2024 Berggruen Governance Index
- Presentation by Helmut K Anheier and Joseph Saraceno, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
Panel Discussion
- Chair: Alexandra Lieben (Burkle Center, UCLA)
- Brian Levy, Johns Hopkins University and Luskin School of Public Affairs, UCLA
- Jody Heymann, WORLD Policy Analysis Center, UCLA
- Georgia Kernell, Political Science, UCLA
Darin Christensen, Luskin School of Public Affairs, UCLA
- Q&A with audience
Closing Comments
- Michael Storper, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and London School of Economics
- Nils Gilman, Director, Berggruen Institute
Reception on Terrace
