Who Governs?
Part II:
Democracy
Basics
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Demos meaning "People", and Kratos
meaning "Power“
Popular Sovereignty
Direct.
Indirect (Representative)
Rule of Law
Constitutional Order
Examples of Direct Democracy in
the Modern Era
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Ballot Initiative
Referendum
Recall
One Possible Definition of
Democracy
"Modern political democracy is a system of
governance in which rulers are held
accountable for their actions in the public
realm by citizens, acting indirectly through
competition and cooperation of their
elected representatives.”
-Schmitter And Karl (1991)
One Possible Definition of
Democracy
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System of governance: regime in the sense
that we have used the term: What are the rules
that determine who controls the state?
Rulers: those who sit in government and
directly control the state apparatus--i.e., those
who control the legislative (and executive)
authority as discussed in our definition of the
state.
One Possible Definition of
Democracy
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Public Realm: making of collective norms and
choices that are binding on the society and
backed by state coercion" --the relationship
between state and society in the political
system/the outputs (public policy decisions)
Citizens: In a true democracy all permanent
adult residents with little of no restrictions. To be
a true democracy, a broad definition of citizen is
needed.
One Possible Definition of
Democracy
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Indirectly: A representative system
Competition: contestation
Elections: sets of rules; must be
consistent, free and fair. A key to
democracy (perhaps the most significant
feature) but in and of itself, elections do
not produce democracy (e.g., USSR,
Cuba)
Voting
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Suffrage
Electoral Systems (How votes become
office)
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Plurality Systems
Majoritarian Systems
Proportional Representation
Political Parties
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Defined: a group of actors, operating under a
common label, who compete for votes.
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Label: why does that matter?
Note: competes for votes, but the definition does not
require victory.
This a minimal definition—some in the literature are
more restrictive in one way or another.
Electoral systems affect the number of parties.
Polyarchy
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Why the term?
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Rule by the “demos” is actually impossible.
For a variety of reasons the will, needs and
demands of all the people cannot be met.
Yet, the many still rule.
Polyarchy
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Defined
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Contestation: That there is a real competition
for power in which the opposition has a
legitimate chance of winning.
Participation: That citizens have their basic
civil liberties (such as freedom of speech and
protest) and have the right to exercise those
liberties to affect and influence government.
Why Polyarchy Matters
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Classic Liberal Freedoms are present in
polyarchies (freedom of speech, the press,
assembly, worship, etc.).
Composition of Leadership (contestation and
participation mean that competition for office is
open, rather than limited to a specific set of
persons).
Responsiveness of Politicians (i.e., politicians will
“seek the support of groups” (23))—hence,
government and policy will be made with
organized interests in mind.
Why Polyarchy Matters
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Promotes Mass-Based Political Parties (because you need
to maximize votes). Since you need as many votes as
possible to win power, power contenders will have to
please a large number of persons (unlike an
authoritarian situation).
Increased Pluralism. (Increased opportunities for voicing
opinion and making demands).
Decrease chance of state-directed coercion against
society for ideological/political purposes. Dahl notes that
no polyarchical government has ever engaged in largescale attacks on its own people.
Diamond
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Nondemocracies
Pseudodemocracies
Electoral Democracies
Liberal Democracies
Diamond’s Definition of Liberal
Democracy
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Control of the state and its key decisions and
allocations lies with elected officials (in
particular, the military is subordinate to the
authority of elected civilian officials)
Executive power is constrained,
constitutionally and in fact, by the autonomous
power of other government institutions (such as
an independent judiciary, parliament, and other
mechanisms of horizontal accountability).
Diamond’s Definition of Liberal
Democracy
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Not only are electoral outcomes
uncertain, with a significant opposition
vote and the presumption of party
alternation in government, but no group
that adheres to constitutional principles is
denied the right to form a party and
contest elections
Diamond’s Definition of Liberal
Democracy
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Cultural, ethnic, religious, and other minority
groups are not prohibited from expressing
their interests
Citizens have multiple, ongoing channels
for expression and representation of their
interests and values, including diverse,
independent associations and movements, which
they have the freedom to form and join.
Diamond’s Definition of Liberal
Democracy
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There are alternative sources of
information
Individuals also have substantial
freedom of belief, opinion, discussion,
speech, publication, assembly,
demonstration, and petition.
Citizens are politically equal under the
law
Diamond’s Definition of Liberal
Democracy
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Individual and group liberties are effectively
protected by an independent,
nondiscriminatory judiciary; whose decisions
are enforced and respected by other centers
of power.
The rule of law protects citizens from
unjustified detention, exile, terror, torture, and
undue interference in their personal lives not
only by the state but also by organized nonstate
or antistate forces.