Urbanization and Democracy

Ed Glaeser, writing in the Boston Globe, notes their strong connection (via Mark Thoma):

Across countries today, there is a robust correlation between urbanization and democracy. This correlation reflects many things, such as the tendency of more urban places to be richer and better educated, but it also surely reflects the role that cities play in supporting the coordinated action that creates and defends democracies

Comments

[Michael Wells]

George Will makes the case that urbanization, and therefore civilization, depended on beer. I'll drink to that.

http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/GeorgeWill/2008/07/10/no_beer,_no_civilization