Western Promises? A Critical Review of the (Anti-)Democratic Effects of Western Education in Non-Western Countries

Western education is credited with producing democratic reformers from non-Western countries—and blamed for training dictators, elitist technocrats, and antiliberal leaders. Why do similar programs generate such divergent political trajectories? Drawing on an international, multidisciplinary literature, this article critically analyzes 94 studies to explore when, how, and for whom Western education influences democratic attitudes and outcomes in non-Western countries. It develops an interdisciplinary framework that pinpoints key theoretical and methodological themes explaining how Western educational programs can foster democratic engagement, entrench illiberal rule, or have limited political impact. The analysis highlights underexplored contextual factors shaping trainees’ experiences, and proposes methodological strategies—individual-level, longitudinal, comparative designs embedded in home-country contexts—to move the field beyond the currently thin empirical debate. Against a backdrop of rising East–West tensions, the article aims to inform realistic judgments about the prodemocratic potential of Western educational programs—and the risks of relying on them uncritically.