Archive for the ‘Democracy’ Category
Democracy Types, Principles and Examples – Study.com
What is Democracy?
Democracy definition pertains to the form of government in which the people's power is exercised directly or indirectly. In this regard, "direct democracy" is the form of government where people decide on various policies without any representatives; people hold power and the authority to determine. In "indirect democracies", also known as "representative democracies", some people are elected to represent the rest of the citizens. Different types of democracies exist, and it is often possible to encounter a combination of these diverse types. What is typical and essential in a democracy is the freedom of assembly, association, and speech, voting rights and fair elections; to be considered a democracy, a country also needs to guarantee equality and liberty to every citizen. It also needs to encourage participation, transparency, protection of human rights, and the rule of law. If a state lacks these essential features, it can't be considered democratic.
The definition and the essential characteristic of Democracy are often considered to be related to voting rights, but this idea is just too confined. Voting rights are a simple part of the whole, it is essential, but it is not the entire definition. There are so many different forms of Democracy that it is almost impossible to find one direction and a definition to collect them all. Citizens need to have the same rights and be considered equal before the law; there is often a constitution that protects these rights and freedoms. Several theories try to explain this political system and give a direction to create the pillars on which it is based. Usually, the most important features can be summarized as legal equality, freedom in the political sphere, and the principle of the rule of law.
It is widely known that the word "democracy" derives from a Greek word translated as "the rule of people". Democracy was born in Ancient Greece, specifically in the city of Athens; in ancient times, this form of government wasn't the most widespread. The Athenian Democracy was direct. Only free men (not women or enslaved people) were allowed to speak and vote during assemblies; this happened because the right to be a citizen was related to war activity; who fought in a war, or could do that, was considered an Athenian citizen. These men were involved in every aspect of political life.
Also, during the Roman Republic, the democratic government was significant in society, even if it wasn't perfect or inclusive. Only the Romans from noble and wealthy families were considered citizens and had voting rights. There are a few differences between the Athenian and Roman forms. In the Roman Republic, power was held by the people and their elected representatives. It wasn't a direct democracy, as in Ancient Greece, but it was closer to a representative form.
In different societies, some kinds of Democracy evolved; in societies where different tribes and clans were present, the decisions were made all together during assemblies. Also, during the Middle Age, these types of assemblies and meetings were taking place. But, a turning point in reaching the types of Democracy that we encounter nowadays happened during the Enlightenment years, especially during the French Revolution, which changed the way the nation was thought.
Between the ancient type and the modern version of Democracy, theorists and philosophers have encountered several differences in which the state was conceived: modernization and the rise of capitalism encouraged and allowed a transition from the equality principle, the essential aspect for the ancients, to an increased interest towards liberty and freedom in the modern era.
There are different types of democracies, but with their differences and similarities, all need to hold the same principles. We have previously considered three fundamental features of Democracy: legal equality, political freedom and the rule of law. The first aspect refers to people having the power and the authority. They directly choose the policies, or they choose their representatives, so the control has an upward direction. The second principle refers to equality in the political field, freedom from oppression or coercion and the liberty to freely choose and vote. The rule of law principle refers to the fact that every citizen and institution should be accountable to the same law. The acceptable norms are connected to the other principles. Citizens enjoy diverse rights and freedoms, such as freedom of speech, assembly, and opinion.
Throughout history, diverse democratic theories developed and followed one another. In early times, Aristotle developed his theories toward Democracy. His idea was a contrast between the "rule by the many" principle with the "rule by the few" and the "rule by a single person".
In contemporary times, three major ideas developed and evolved which include; aggregative Democracy, deliberative Democracy, and radical Democracy. Different variations of the aggregative Democracy exist, but the main principle is the political system should spur citizens' choices and encourage them to be aggregate to decide which policies should be adopted in society. Deliberative Democracy has a major difference from the aggregative one in that it believes that a decision to be democratically legitimate should follow deliberations, not only the procedure of getting people together to vote. Radical Democracy as a form of government is an inclusive and continuous operation; it is concerned with the radical extension of equality and freedom.
There are several types of Democracy, diverse aspects, and categories of this form of government. In diverse democratic countries, it's possible to encounter diverse elements of this political system, different combinations of democratic characteristics. In practice and theory, it's possible to encounter variations of Democracy. The first classification and the major differentiation can be considered between direct and indirect (Representative) democracy. Direct and representative democracies are the two basic forms, but it is often possible to encounter other forms.
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Democracy Types, Principles and Examples - Study.com
What is Democracy? Why Democracy? – GeeksforGeeks
Democracy is a type of governance in which the people have the power to consider and determine laws (direct democracy) or to elect representatives to do so (representative democracy). Who is considered a member of the people, and how authority is shared or delegated by the people, has evolved through time and at varying rates in different nations, but over time, more and more citizens of democratic countries have been involved.
Freedom of assembly, association, and expression, inclusivity and equality, citizenship, consent of the governed, voting rights, freedom from unjustified state denial of the right to life and liberty, and minority rights are all essential elements of democracy.
A form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people is termed democracy. One of the chief factors of all democracies is that people choose the government. Democracy helps students to demarcate between democratic and non-democratic governments.
For example, from the non-democratic government, people do not elect rules in Myanmar. In charge of the army of the country took over as rulers and in this decision, people said nothing. Dictators like Pinochet (Chile) are not elected by the people and apply to monarchies also. The king of Saudi Arabia rules because they are born in the royal family, not because of the condition that people opt them or choose them to rule.
Democracy is essential for the following reasons:
Question 1: Explain in three ways why democracy in a country enhances the dignity of an individual?
Answer:
The three ways are-
Question 2: Explain this statement by giving reasons After every six years to elect its president, Mexico holds elections in 1930 since its independence. The country has never been under a military or dictators rule. But it cannot be termed as a democratic country.
Answer:
The basic feature of democracy is a Free and Fair election but this is not in Mexico:-
Question 3: Explain the major features of democracy.
Answer:
The major features of democracy are:-
Question 4: What does direct democracy mean, and why is it impossible to practice in todays world?
Answer:
Every citizen must be able to play an equal role in decision making which means direct democracy implies democracy. In the present day world, it cannot be practiced because-
Question 5: Explain any two arguments for democracy.
Answer:
The two arguments for democracy are:
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What is Democracy? Why Democracy? - GeeksforGeeks
Democracy Countries 2022 – worldpopulationreview.com
What is a democracy? The word "democracy" comes from the Greek words "demos", meaning "citizen", and "kratos", meaning "power" or "rule". At its most fundamental, a democracy is a form of government in which a nation's citizens have the power to decide the laws under which they will live. These decisions are made via either a vote of the people in a "direct democracy" (also called a "true" or "pure" democracy), or through elected officials who vote on behalf of their constituents in a "representative democracy".
Not all democracies are the same. A myriad of democratic sub-types exist, including constitutional democracy, green democracy, demarchy, illiberal democracy, industrial democracy, and more. In fact, one scholar identified more than 2000 different variations of democracy. What's more, the majority of these classifications overlap with one another. As a result, any given democracy will fit into many different subtypes.
For example, the United States is a representative democracy because most decisions are made not by the people themselves, but by representatives who act on the people's behalf. It is also an electoral democracy because those representatives are selected in elections, a presidential democracy because the head of government is also the head of state and leader of the executive branch, and a constitutional democracy because its fundamental principles and laws are guided by a constitution (which some argue makes the U.S. a republic rather than a democracymore on that below).
There are multiple theories about what specific elements are required for a government to qualify as a democracy. For example, in preparing its annual Democracy Index, the Economist Intelligence Unit scores each of the world's countries in five distinct categorieswhich we can examine to determine several of the Economist's democratic wish list:
Stanford University political scientist Larry Diamond has a similar list, maintaining that any democracy must include four key elements:
Finally, the Museum of Australian Democracy also teaches that all liberal democracies are based upon four main principles:
The Democracy Index is an annual report compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The index measures the state of democracy in 167 of the world's countries by tracking 60 indicators in five different categories: electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation, political culture, and civil liberties. The indicators are combined to give each category a rating on a 0 to 10 scale, and the five category scores are averaged to determine the overall index score.
Countries with a total Democracy Index score between 8.01 and 10 (out of 10) are considered full democracies. Those whose score lands between 6.01 and 8.00 are classified as flawed democracies. While these countries have free and fair elections and basic civil liberties, there are faults in other aspects, such as low levels of participation in politics or an underdeveloped (or heavily partisan) political culture. The lower two categories of the index are reserved for countries that did not score well enough to be considered democracies. Nations that score between 4.01 and 6.0 earn the title of hybrid regime, and anything lower than 4 is labeled an authoritative regime. The 2020 Democracy Index categorized 23 countries as full democracies, 52 as flawed democracies, 35 as hybrid regimes, and 57 as authoritarian regimes.
The United States scored 7.92 in 2020 and again landed in the "flawed democracy" category, where it has resided since falling from "full democracy" in 2016. Intolerance of COVID-19 restrictions, distrust in the government, bipartisan gridlock, and especially the increasing ideological polarization between democrats and republicans are all cited as contributors to the lower score. For the full list of all 167 countries and their 2020 scores, see the table further down this page.
Political terminology can be difficult to parse. A frequent topic of debate in modern circles is whether the United States is actually a republic rather than a democracy. In truth, the most accurate answer may be that the United States is both a republic and a democracybut a specific type of each. The lynchpin of this debate is the fact that republics are very similar to direct democracies, but are different in one very important way.
A direct democracy has no elected officials and no constitution. The people have absolute power and make all decisions themselves via direct votes. While this may seem like an ideal system at first glance, direct democracy has one significant shortcoming: The lack of a constitution laying out basic guiding principles means that whatever at least 50.1% of the people want is what happens. There are no checks, no balances, and no limits. As such, a direct democracy offers little to no protection for up to 49.9% of the people, and leaves minorities particularly vulnerable.
By comparison, a republic is a government in which power is held by both the people and their elected representatives. Moreover, that power is limited by the laws established in a formal constitution, which preserves the rights of minorities and limits abuses of power. For example, the United States constitution and its amendments include such safeguards as the distribution of power among three branches of government (executive, judicial, legislative), the Bill of Rights, and the abolition of slavery. Elected officials must adhere to the constitution's rules.
Given these differences, it's easy to see why many people consider the U.S. a republic instead of a democracy. However, it's important to note that this is the difference between a republic and a direct democracy. Most other variations of democracy utilize elected officials just as republics do, and many variations also have a constitution (or Magna Carta or other founding document). Plus, as previously discussed, many political labels overlap with one another. Most governments can be described by not just one term, but several. As a result, those who say the U.S. is a republic and those who call it a democracy are both correct. The United States is a constitutional democracy, a democratic republic, and many other types of government as well.
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Democracy Countries 2022 - worldpopulationreview.com
Introduction: What Is Democracy? by Danielle Allen
Democracy is a word that is over 2500 years old. It comes from ancient Greece and means the power of the people. When democracy was first invented, in ancient Athens, the most stunning feature of this new form of government was that poor men were allowed to participate alongside rich men in determining the fate of the city: whether to go to war; how to distribute the proceeds from public silver mines; whether to put those convicted of treason to death.
In ancient Athens, all male citizens could gather together in the assembly to vote on issues of this kind. In ancient Rome,by contrast, the republic of Rome established a mixed regime in which some offices were held by the wealthy and some by representatives of the poor. Rather than throwing everyone together in a single decision-making group, the Romans tried to balance the interests of the rich and of the poor by giving them different roles in the political system.
Nonetheless, both Athens and Rome understood themselves to have built political systems that rested on the voice of the people and that secured the freedom of a body of free and equal citizens strong enough to protect themselves from outside sources of domination and also committed enough to the rule of law to protect all citizens from domination by one another.
The light went out for ancient democratic and republican forms of government respectively when Alexander the Great conquered Athens and when Julius Caesar overthrew the free Roman Republic and transformed it into an empire, headed by an emperor. Democracy would be revived, however, in Italian city-states in the early modern period and then in its modern form with the American Revolution in 1776.
The modern revival of democracy has brought us twelve key concepts that the ancients didnt have, or that vary significantly from their ancient variants. These are: (1) Consent of the Governed; (2) Free Elections; (3) Constitutional Limits; (4) Majority Rule, Minority Rights; (5) Transparency and Accountability; (6) Multiparty System; (7) Economic Freedom; (8) Rule of Law; (9) Human Rights; (10) Freedom of Expression; (11) Freedom of Association; and (12) Freedom of Religion.
Taken together, these twelve concepts are the building blocks of modern, representative democracies. Our democracies are too big for all citizens to gather together to decide questions of state and the public good. Instead, we have representation. We elect people, our representatives, to make those decisions for us. With every election, we hold our representatives to account. Have they taken the country in a general direction to which we consent? We ensure that our governments rest on the consent of the governed by routinely holding free and fair elections. To make these elections meaningful, we need transparency about what our representatives have done. Only if we know what they have done, can we hold them to account for their actions.
Why do we care that governments should rest on the consent of each and every one of us? Being human involves seeking to control ones life. Achieving that requires having a role in politics because political decisions have such a big impact on our life. The idea of human rights captures the notion that every human being ought to have a chance to control his or her own life, including through political participation. Of course, being able to control ones own life requires a lot more than just participating in politics. It also requires being able to spend time with those whom one chooses. It requires being able to express ones views and to develop ones beliefs as one chooses. This explains the importance of freedom of association, freedom of expression, and freedom of religion. Of course, its also important to point out that those freedomsto speak ones mind, to gather together with those whom one chooses, and to control ones own beliefsare necessary if one is going to participate politically. These freedoms give us the chance to control our private lives but they are also the necessary tools of political participation. Economic freedom-the freedom to control ones own propertyis equally necessary if one is going to control ones own life and ones public role.
Now, making it possible for people to control their own lives, both privately and in public through politics, is not merely a matter of listing some important rights that we hold up as ideals. We also have to build institutions that work to protect those rights. Modern democracy differs the most from the ancient variants in the kinds of institutions it has invented to secure these rights. Some of the key inventions include written constitutions that identify the powers of government and how they should be wielded as well as the limits on those powers; a recognition that constitutions need to protect minorities from the power held by majority voting blocs; and formal political parties with platforms that help citizens organize their disputes and contests with one another.
These basic building blocksan overarching goal of consent of the governed; a set of rights that give people the chance to control their own fates; and institutions whose purpose is to balance power so that it does remain, ultimately, in the hands of the peopleshow up again and again in democracies all over the world. But every democracy describes the overarching goal slightly differently; it establishes its own priorities among the rights, especially when they come into conflict; and it arranges its institutions to suit its own people. Nonetheless, by looking at many comparative cases of democracy, one can come to see how beneath the surface differences, they share a basic DNA, a combination of ideals and institutions that work to put power in the hands of ordinary people.
Danielle Allen is Director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University and professor in Harvards Department of Government and Graduate School of Education. She is a political theorist who has published broadly in democratic theory, political sociology, and the history of political thought.
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Introduction: What Is Democracy? by Danielle Allen