WOLFGANG MERKEL/MIRKO KRÜCK*
Social Justice and Democracy: Investigating the Link

Democracy and social justice, defined as the just distribution of opportunities and life-chances, go together. Empirical data from 124 countries support the thesis that democratic regimes which grant political rights and civil liberties are more likely to fight poverty successfully, improve access to education, ensure gender equality and provide social security. This link also holds for regional comparisons and provides additional arguments for the universal merits of democracy.