Evaluating Electoral Democracy
Susan Banducci
Professor of Comparative Political Behaviour
Politics
Objectives
• Review Concept of Democracy, from crossnational perspective
• Review Criteria by which to Evaluate Democracy
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Representation
Accountability
Turnout
legitimacy
Can you have elections without democracy?
Democracy without elections?
• Possibilities for reform
Models of Democracy (1)
• Procedural view
– a form of government that emphasizes the procedures
that enable the people to govern or how decisions are
made
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Who should participate in decision-making?
How much should each participant’s vote count?
How many votes are needed to reach a decision?
Universal and equality
• Substantive
– substance of government policies, in freedom of religion
and the provision for human needs or what government
does
Procedural Definitions
Minimal electoral
definitions
Substantive, “Outcome”focused Definitions
More complex
procedural
definitions
(“liberal
democracy”)
Maximalist
definitions
Models of Democracy (2)
• Minimal Procedural
– means of competitive struggle (Schumpeter)
• More complex procedural
– Institutions or guarantees of freedoms, as well as
elections, must exist to call regime democratic.
– E.g. Liberal definitions of democracy
• Substantive
– The criterion for substantive democracy states
that government policies should guarantee civil
liberties and civil rights.
More on Electoral Democracy
• Electoral democracy
– Joseph Schumpeter, Capitalism, socialism and
democracy
– Procedural minimalist definition
• "The democratic method is that institutional
arrangement for arriving at political decisions in
which individuals acquire the power to decide
by means of a competitive struggle for the
people's vote“
– Multiparty elections at regular intervals
– Citizens select leaders
Evaluating Democracies (1)
• Electoral Democracy vs. Liberal Democracy (and
ambiguous)
–Regimes that have minimal competitive
elections, but no other democratic
institutions.
–Institutions or guarantees of freedoms, as
well as elections, must exist to call regime
democratic.
• See Larry Diamond
• Representation, accountability, turnout, legitimacy
Evaluating Democracy (2)
• Representation
– Descriptive representation – women
underrepresented (20% in UK, 70% LAB)
– Why? Institutions, political parties and culture?
Evaluating Democracy (3)
• Accountability
– Are citizens able to hold elected official
accountable through the electoral process?
– Consider
• Lack of information, nature of campaigns
– Issue voting?
• Low participation
Evaluating Democracy (4)
• Turnout
– Equal access but bias in turnout
– Who has the loudest voice (representation)
Evaluating Democracy (4a)
• Human Development
Index – aggregate
differences in turnout
• Also, bias at the
individual level – i.e. in
general those who are
better off (have more
resources) are more
likely to vote
Evaluating Democracy (5)
• Legitimacy
– Satisfaction with democracy
– Trust/confidence in institutions
Conclusions
Reform:
Compulsory Voting
Electoral Systems: i.e. Proportional
Representation
Direct Democracy
Additional resources:
• Larry Diamond, "Elections Without
Democracy: Thinking About Hybrid Regimes,"
Journal of Democracy 13 (April 2002):
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_dem
ocracy/v013/13.2diamond.html