Distinguished commentators from The New York Times’ Thomas Friedman to the editors of The Economist warn that diverse Western democratic governments—like those in California, the U.S. and Europe—are too hamstrung by interest groups and partisan politics to make the necessary decisions. They urge the world to look to fast-moving Asian governments, especially those of Singapore and China, as models of governance. But those are highly authoritarian regimes with records of abusing human rights. In advance of Zócalo’s first Sacramento event, “Is Democracy Too Slow?” we ask what democracies can learn from the authoritarians. …
