MA in Empirical Research in Democracy

If you believe certain sources in the media and in power, all countries in the world are either democracies or are headed that way. It is true that there are very few countries that fail to have elections at least now and then. But is voting sufficient evidence that a country is democratic What do we mean when we speak of democracy And is democracy per se something desirable If yes, then how do democracies arise What is required to make them functional and stable What role do the citizens of a democracy play There are very different types of democracy how do these differences affect their ability to function And is it true that democracies in general are peaceable If so, can democratic institutions and democratic political cultures be simply exported to the entire world