Let me suggest several ways that democracy contributes to a country. The first is by offering the means by which the citizenry can hold governments accountable for their policies and integrity. The political scientist Larry Diamond has written that "predatory, corrupt, wasteful, abusive, tyrannical, incompetent governance is the bane of development." There is simply no way to control or eliminate corruption if people don't have access to the fundamental institutions of democracy such as a free media that can expose corruption, an independent judiciary that can punish its perpetrators, and a system of free and fair elections that can hold political leaders accountable and, where appropriate, kick the rascals out. This doesn't mean that democracy will automatically reduce corruption or produce good governance. Responsible governance requires political will, effective institutions, professional officials, and an informed, alert, and aroused citizenry. But without democracy none of these things are possible, and the absence of political and legal restraints leads inevitably to abusive and corrupt behavior.