SDF

Elections are the most important mechanism for processing whatever conflicts that may arise in a society. They allow conflicts to be processed in liberty and peace if the electoral defeat is not too painful for the losers and if the losers can expect to win in some not too distant future. This mechanism works well in societies that are economically developed and in which alternation in office through elections has become routine. But democracy is fragile, subject to dangers arising from populism and from polarization.