Do we really need a guide?. -- Where and how did democracy develop?: a brief history. -- What lies ahead?. -- What is democracy?. -- Why democracy?. -- Why political equality I? Intrinsic equality. -- Why political equality II? Civil competence. -- What political institutions does large-scale democracy require?. -- Varieties I: democracy on different scales. -- Varieties II: constitutions. -- Varieties III: parties and electoral systems. -- What underlying conditions favor democracy?. -- Why market-capitalism favors democracy. -- Why market-capitalism harms democracy. -- The unfinished journey. -- Continuing the journey? -- Democracy and inequality. -- Appendix A : On electoral systems. -- Appendix B : Political accommodation in culturally or ethnically divided countries. -- Appendix C : On counting democratic countries. -- Appendix D : On counting democratic countries II.

1. Democracy