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Democracy: What is It?

Democracy: What is It?. February 26th, 2004. Democracy – Basic Elements. consent of the governed (process) free and fair elections in which government can be defeated equality of political rights protection of individual rights (outcome) freedom of speech (including free press)

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Democracy: What is It?

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  1. Democracy: What is It? February 26th, 2004

  2. Democracy – Basic Elements • consent of the governed (process) • free and fair elections in which government can be defeated • equality of political rights • protection of individual rights (outcome) • freedom of speech (including free press) • civil liberties

  3. Democracy – Basic Elements • basic elements • consent of the governed (process) • protection of individual rights (outcome) • when is a political system democratic? • continuum • can have more or less of the two values above • the point at which a system is a democracy is contestable • some systems are obviously democracies • some systems are obviously non-democratic • some systems are in between

  4. Democracy -- A Process Opportunities for Mass Participation LOW HIGH Representative (Trustee) Democracy Representative (Delegate) Democracy Participatory Democracy Direct Democracy

  5. Democracy -- The Outcomes Protection of Individual Rights High Low Communitarian Emphasis on General Welfare of the Community Libertarian Emphasis on Limited Government and Rights of the Individual

  6. MODELS OF DEMOCRACY Individual Rights/Limited Gov’t Liberal Democracy High Mass Participation Low Mass Participation Elite Democracy Majoritarian Democracy General Welfare

  7. Models of Democracy • majoritarian democracy • most important goal is maximizing mass participation • high mass participation will result in decisions being made that maximize the general welfare

  8. Models of Democracy • elite democracy • most important goal is the general welfare • requires an elite capable of pursuing the long-term interests of society • actually values low mass participation

  9. Models of Democracy • liberal democracy • most important goal is protecting individual rights • does not prefer low mass participation but may be willing to accept it

  10. Models of Democracy • majoritarian democracy • most important goal is maximizing mass participation • high mass participation will result in decisions being made that maximize the general welfare • majoritarian democratic critiques of other models • elite democracy – there is no such thing as an elite that is not self-interested and will look after the good of the general masses • liberal democracy – emphasis on individual rights is used to limit government in order to protect small, priveleged groups

  11. Models of Democracy • elite democracy • most important goal is the general welfare • requires an elite capable of pursuing the long-term interests of society • actually values low mass participation • elite democratic critiques of other models • liberal democracy – undue focus on individual rights limits government’s ability to pursue the general welfare of the community • majoritarian democracy – masses are too uninterested, incompetent or, at worst, dangerous to be given control over decision-making

  12. Models of Democracy • liberal democracy • most important goal is protecting individual rights • does not prefer low mass participation but may be willing to accept it • liberal democratic critiques of other models • elite democracy – if unchecked, elites will use power to infringe the rights of individuals • majoritarian democracy – if unchecked, majority will infringe the rights of minorities (tyranny of the majority)

  13. Models of Democracy – Viewing Democracy Over Time • elite democrats • the masses will always be incapable of making decisions for the long-term common good • liberal democrats • elites and the majorities will always be prone to infringing individual rights if given the chance • majoritarian democrats • elites will always be self-serving • masses can learn over time to become better democratic citizens if given a meaningful opportunity to do so • elite and liberal democrats would argue that the risk is too great

  14. CLASSIFYING DEMOCRACIES • within a range of models incorporating some minimum amount of meaningful citizen input and some minimum protection of basic rights, there are different models of democracy • choice of models is completely normative • there is no “right” model • the best model of democracy is contestable

  15. CLASSIFYING DEMOCRACIES... • typology of models of democracy as a “map” for comparing democratic systems • tells us what to look at in undertaking comparisons • emphasizes the relative nature of models of democracy • democracy as a concept is multi-faceted and complex • forces the consideration of two questions • to what degree are different political systems based on different models of democracy? • to what degree do different political systems look like their underlying model of democracy in practice

  16. Things to Remember... • there is no one, single, accepted model of democracy • within a range of basic elements (consent of the governed, protection of individual rights), democracy means different things to different people

  17. The State of Democracy In the Contemporary World

  18. The State of Democracy • Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2002 • political freedom • freedom to form political parties • open competition in free and fair elections • civil liberties • personal freedoms (e.g. speech, press) • religious, ethnic, linguistic rights

  19. The State of Democracy • total countries=192 • electoral democracies=121 (63%) • 1987=40% • free countries=89 (46%) • many countries are electoral democracies without being free!!

  20. The State of Democracy Over Time

  21. The State of Democracy Over Time

  22. The State of Democracy Over Time

  23. The State of Democracy Over Time

  24. The State of Democracy Over Time

  25. The State of Democracy Over Time

  26. The State of Democracy Over Time

  27. The State of Democracy • top rankings • 34 countries (all Western industrialized countries) including... • Australia • Canada • France • Germany • UK • United States

  28. The State of Democracy • worst rankings • 9 worst • Burma • Cuba • Iraq • North Korea • Libya • Saudi Arabia • Sudan • Syria • Turkmenistan

  29. The State of Democracy • the number of free democratic societies is growing • however, the number of electoral democracies has grown faster than the number of free democratic societies • electoral democracy does not equal free democracy

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