❗ DEMOCRATIC RULE ❗

key arguments:
⭐ about half the people in the world live under democratic rule, but there is no universally agreed definition of democracy. Democracy is an ideal
⭐ studying athenian direct democracy offers a standard of self rule against which todays representative democracies are often judges
⭐ representative democracy limits the people to electing a government, whilst liberal democracy goes a stage further by placing limits on government and protecting citizen rights
⭐ impact of modernisation on democracy raises the question as to whether liberal democracy is sensible in the short term for lowY countries lacking democratic requisites.
⭐ democracies emerged in 3 main waves that has resulted in half the population living under democratic rule. a main worry for democracies is the decline in trust people have for their government
⭐ a most recent approach to democracy, stimulated by transitions from authoritarian rule, is to study how to order collapse and the transition takes place

❗ DEMOCRACY - a political system in which government is based on fair and open mandate from all qualified citizens of a state.
CONTEMPORARY DEMOCRACIES ARE USUALLY LABELLED LIBERAL
democratization- the process by which states build the institutions and processes needed to become stable democracies

FEATURES OF A MODERN DEMOCRACY

  1. representative systems of government based on fair and competitive elections
  2. well-defined and stable institutions with a distribution of power based on check and balances
  3. wide variety of political participation e.g. many parties and many platforms
  4. limits the power of government and protects individuals rights
  5. active and effective opposition
  6. a diverse and independent media

FORMS OF DEMOCRACY:
DIRECT DEMOCRACY - the citizens themselves debate and reach decisions on matters of common interest
REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY - citizens elect a legislature and, in presidential systems, a chief executive. Representatives are held to account at elections
LIBERAL DEMOCRACY - a form of indirect democracy in which the scope of democracy is limited by constitutional protection of rights. Free, fair elections are based on near universal suffrage

E-Democracy : - a form of democratic expression through which all those with an interest can themselves via the internet or social media

DEGREES OF DEMOCRACY

unanimity - everyone agrees

consensus - no one disagrees

concurrent majority - more than one majority required

absolute majority - most than half those entitled to vote

simple majority - more than half those voting

qualified majority - typically 2/3s

blocking minority- able to prevent a proposal from passing

weighted majority - after adjusting votes for difference in voting power

plurality- largest number of votes but not necessarily the majority

LIMITED GOVERNMENT - placing limits on the powers and reach of gov so as to entrench the rights of citizens

LIBERALISM - the belief in the supreme value of the individual, who is seen to have natural rights that exist independently to the gov, so must be protected from the gov

STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE - the social and political oppression built into many societies.

CHECKS AND BALANCES - an arrangement in which gov institutions are given powers that counter balance on another obliging them to work together in order to govern and make decisions

❗ MODERNISATION - the process of acquiring the attributes of a modern society, or one reflecting contemporary ideas, institutions and norms.
modern - a state with an industrial or post industrial economy and an urban and educated population

WAVES OF DEMOCRATIZATION- a group of transitions from non-democratic to democratic regimes occurring in a specific period of time and outnumbers opposing transitions in the same time period

END OF HISTORY - idea of developing to such a level that it represents the culmination of the evolution process

STAGES OF DEMOCRATIZATION

  1. liberalisation - initiation of the reform sequence, usually as a result of recognition by authoritarian rulers that change is inevitable
  2. transition - arrangements made for the new system
  3. consolidation - widespread acceptance of the new system, supported by evidence that it works
  4. deepening- democracy evolves from the superficial to the substantial