let me suggest several ways that democracy contributes to a country the first is by offering the means by which the citizenry can hold government 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 do not 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 does not 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