Democracy: What is It? January 9th, 2002. Democracy – Basic Elements consent of the governed...
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Transcript of Democracy: What is It? January 9th, 2002. Democracy – Basic Elements consent of the governed...
Democracy: What is It?Democracy: What is It?
January 9th, 2002
Democracy – Basic ElementsDemocracy – 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
Democracy – Basic ElementsDemocracy – 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
Democracy -- A ProcessDemocracy -- A Process
Representative (Delegate) Democracy
Direct Democracy
Participatory Democracy
Representative (Trustee) Democracy
Opportunities for Mass Participation
HIGHLOW
Democracy -- The OutcomesDemocracy -- The Outcomes
Low High
Protection of Individual Rights
Communitarian
Emphasis on General Welfare of the Community
Libertarian
Emphasis on Limited Government and Rights of the Individual
MODELS OF DEMOCRACYMODELS OF DEMOCRACYIndividual Rights/Limited Gov’t
General Welfare
High Mass Participation
Low Mass Participation
Majoritarian Majoritarian DemocracyDemocracy
Elite Elite DemocracyDemocracy
Liberal Liberal DemocracyDemocracy
Models of DemocracyModels 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
Models of DemocracyModels 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
Models of DemocracyModels 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)
Models of Democracy – Viewing Models of Democracy – Viewing Democracy Over TimeDemocracy 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
CLASSIFYING DEMOCRACIESCLASSIFYING DEMOCRACIES
within a range of models incorporating some minimum amount of meaningful citizen input and some minimuim 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
CLASSIFYING DEMOCRACIES...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
Things to Remember...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