A complex of problems related to the functioning of democratic procedures in large states is analyzed in the article. Pointing to the fact that such states are inevitably characterized, to a greater or lesser degree, by regional disparity, the author demonstrates direct relationship between the size of a country and its aptitude for quick economic development under the conditions of democracy, since in a situation of regional disparity, democratic procedures tend to hamper innovatiory activity. As the author stresses, it is in countries with transitory economy that this tendency proves particularly apparent, forming a threat to their unity.