This book is an assessment by democracy institute Idasa of the state of democracy in South Africa today.The book interrogates the relationship between democracy and development and how underdevelopment prevents citizens from participating in democracy. Section One is a collection of experts’ writing on key issues such as the single-party state; development policy; poverty, inequality and growth; the institutions of governance; the public service; and the role of civil society. Section Two, Idasa’s Democracy Index 2010, releases Idasa’s findings on Participation, Elections, Accountability, Political Freedom, Human Dignity and Democracy. The third in Idasa’s Democracy Index series, this book argues that democracy needs economic development along with an embedded system of institutions, supported by active citizens and a vibrant political culture.