Though elections may not be free and fair, massive electoral manipulation is rare and the days when only males, whites, or the rich could vote are long gone. Freedom House’s global surveys show a steady increase from the 1970s in the share of countries that are “free” – a trend that the late Harvard political scientist Samuel Huntington dubbed the “third wave” of democratization.
普林斯顿—从很多标准看，世界从未变得更加民主。基本上每一个政府都是言必称民主和人权。尽管选举可能并不自由和公正，但大规模操纵选举很少见，只有男人、白人或富人参与的选举也早已成了历史。自由之家（Freedom House）的全球调查表明自20世纪以来，“自由”国家的比例在稳步增加，已故哈佛政治学家亨廷顿（Samuel Huntington）将这一趋势称为民主的“第三波”。