What Makes Democracy?
Educational Initiatives
FAT, 2011
Core characteristic
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Democracy is based on the freely expressed will of the people to
determine their own political, economic, social and cultural
systems and their full and free participation.
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Democracy is primarily about right to chose and right to change
the holders of the political power in a regular, fair and free
elections. (electoral democracy).
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Essential characteristic: Positions of political power are filled
through regular, free, and fair elections between competing
parties, and it is possible for an incumbent government to be
turned out of office through elections.
Declaration of Independence, USA, 1776
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"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments
are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the
Consent of the Governed...„
The most fundamental concept of democracy is the idea that
government exists to secure the rights of the people and to
implement its will and must be based on the consent of the
governed.
FH criteria for an electoral democracy:
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A competitive, multiparty political system;
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Universal adult suffrage;
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Regularly contested elections conducted on the basis of secret
ballots, reasonable ballot security and the absence of massive
voter fraud;
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Significant public access of major political parties to the
electorate through the media and through generally open
political campaigning.
Dahl’s concept of polyarchy
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All adult citizens have the right to vote;
All adult citizens are eligible for public office;
Political leaders have the right to compete for votes;
Elections are free and fair;
All citizens are free to form and join political parties and other
organisations;
All citizens are free to express themselves on all political issues;
Diverse sources of information about politics exist and are
protected by law;
Government policies depend on votes and other expressions of
preference.
Fundamental features of a democracy:
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Government based on majority rule and the consent of
the governed;
Political pluralism (multiparty system) and free, fair and
regular elections;
Constitutional limits on government
Majority rule / minority rights
Rule of law & equality before the law;
Due process.
Fundamental features of a democracy:
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Accountability and Transparency
Economic Freedom
Respect to Basis Human Rights
Freedom of Expression
Freedom of Association
Freedom of Religion
FH ratings are based on questions such as:
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Are the legislative representatives elected through free and fair
elections?
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Do the people have the right to organize in different political
parties or other competitive political groupings of their choice,
and is the system open to the rise and fall of these competing
parties or groupings?
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Are there free trade unions and peasant organizations or
equivalents, and is there effective collective bargaining? Are there
free professional and other private organizations?
FH ratings:
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Is there academic freedom, and is the educational system free of
extensive political indoctrination?
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Does the rule of law prevail in civil and criminal matters? Is the
population treated equally under the law? Are police and military
under direct civilian control?
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Are property rights secure? Do citizens have the right to
establish private businesses? Is private business activity unduly
influenced by government officials, the security forces, or
organized crime?
More expanded definition:
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Consensus on basics of society, what are the core identities and
values, for example consensus what is the territory, who is citizen
and who is not, etc.
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Basic civic and political rights are respected, particularly freedom
of expression, of information and of association. Citizens have
the right to express themselves on political matters, without the
risk of state punishment. Citizens have the right to seek out
alternative sources of information. Citizens have the right to
form independent associations, including independent political
parties and interest groups.
Liberal democracy
All democracies are systems in which citizens freely make
political decisions by majority rule. But rule by the
majority is not necessarily democratic. In a democracy
majority rule must be combined with guarantees of
individual human rights and the rights of minorities.
Right to chose
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Free & fair elections. Elections are primarily between
different parties, political and ideological groupings,
but there are other competitions within the
democratic society, competition between government
& press, between civil society & the government,
between central & regional governments.
Division between the executive,
legislative and juditiary power
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Control over government decisions about policy is
constitutionally vested in elected representatives.
Elected representatives exercise their constitutional
powers without facing overriding opposition from
unelected officials. Elected representatives have
effective control over State force, whether civilian or
military. Independent judiciary and legal profession,
and investigative forces operating under rules
designed to ensure impartiality and integrity.
Rue of law
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State, including policy-makers, ministerial civil
servants, and members of the repressive apparatus
(army, police) as well as economic elites must obey
rules.
Inclusion, non-discrimination,
respect to minority rights
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If parts of the society (some minorities) are excluded,
we do not have democracy. Citizens should be able to
exercise their rights in a democracy without any
discrimination as to race, color, sex, language, religion,
political or other opinion, national or social origin,
property, birth or other status. Democratic state
encourage and invest in the participation if minorities.
Equal chances are important characteristic of
democracy. This means providing practical help to
overcome obstacles of status and/or condition.
Good governance
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Institutions work well, they are efficient, they deliver in
a reasonably long and predictable time what they are
instituted for, and they serve broader public interests
not private or particular interests. When we say
institutions, we mean primarily governmental, state
institutions (government, judiciary, police, prosecutors,
infrastructure, educational system, health care and
social services system etc).
Transparency and accountability
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Transparency involves the public having access to
reliable information on how those who exercise public
power use it, especially their use of public resources.
Accountability involves those who exercise powers of
government being answerable to elected representatives
for their actions, as well as being responsible before the
law.
Participation is also a necessary
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Citizens cannot be required to take part in the political
process, and they are free not to participate. However, a
healthy democracy requires the active, freely chosen
participation of citizens in public life. Democracies
flourish when citizens are willing to participate in public
debate, elect representatives and join political parties.
Without this broad, sustaining participation, democracy
begins to wither and become the preserve of small,
select groups.
Democratic political culture
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A democratic political culture is also crucial for
functioning and sustainability of democracy. A culture
of passivity and apathy, an obedient citizenry, are not
consistent with democracy. The electoral process
periodically divides the population into winners and
losers. A democratic political culture implies that the
losing parties and their supporters accept the judgment
of the voters, and allow for the peaceful transfer of
power.
Economist categorization:
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Full democracies: Basic political freedoms and civil liberties are
respected. Political culture is conducive to the flourishing of
democracy. The functioning of government is satisfactory. Media
are independent and diverse. There is an effective system of
checks and balances. The judiciary is independent and judicial
decisions are enforced.
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Flawed democracies: These countries also have free and fair
elections and even if there are problems (such as infringements
on media freedom), basic civil liberties will be respected.
However, there are significant weaknesses in other aspects of
democracy, including problems in governance, an
underdeveloped political culture and low levels of political
participation.
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Hybrid regimes: Elections are not free and fair. Government
pressure on opposition parties and candidates. Serious
weaknesses in political culture, functioning of government and
political participation. Corruption is widespread and the rule of
law is weak. Civil society is weak. Typically there is harassment
of and pressure on journalists, and the judiciary is not
independent.
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Authoritarian regimes: Political pluralism is absent or heavily
limited. Elections, if they do occur, are not free and fair. There is
disregard for abuses of civil liberties. Media are state-owned or
controlled by groups connected to the ruling regime. There is
repression of criticism of the government and censorship. There
is no independent judiciary.
Types of Governments
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Absolute monarchy – ruled by one person who passes on the
power to rule in his or her family (the leader is the king or
queen);
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Constitutional monarchy – there is a king or queen, but his/her
powers are limited and listed in the constitution; most of the
political decisions are made by the elected government;
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Republic – there is no king or queen; rule is by the people –
there may be an elected government, a one-party government, or
a military government;
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Democratic – the government is elected.
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Presidential Democracy – the leader of the country is directly
elected by the citizens
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Parliamentary Democracy – the citizens vote for the parties that
will be in Parliament, and the Parliament votes on who will be
the prime minister (usually the head of the party which won the
most votes)
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Military regime –the top military leaders rule the country
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Dictatorship – one person rules the country. Technically, a
dictatorship means rule by one person, but people often use
military or one-party dictatorship.