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Democratic and Non-democratic Regimes - Coggle Diagram
Democratic and Non-democratic Regimes
Democratic regimes
Representative democracy:
A system of government in which members of a community elect people to represent their interests and to make decisions affecting the community
Liberal (full) democracy:
A form of indirect democracy in which the scope of democracy is limited by constitutional protection of individual rights
checks and balances:
an arrangement in which government institutions are given powers that counter-balance one another, obliging them to work together in order to govern and make decisions
civil liberties:
The rights that citizens have relative to government, and that should not be restricted by the government
liberalism:
a belief in the supreme value of the individual, who is seen to have natural rights that exist independently of government, and who must therefore be protected from too much government
limited government:
a belief that guarantees must be made for citizens by placing limits on the powers and reach of government
Electoral (flawed) democracy:
enjoys most features full democracies do, but experiences weaknesses such as problems in governance, underdeveloped political culture, low levels of political participation
structural violence:
a term used to describe the social and economic oppression built into a system of government
Robert Dahl
Two dimensions of democracy
Contestation:
the extent to which citizens enjoy unimpaired opportunities to express their political preferences (such as voting or demonstrating)
Inclusiveness:
the share of the population that is entitled to participate in the political system
introduced because
There has to be a serious degree of inclusion of the population into the political process
No real country will ever perfectly attain contestation and inclusion, according to Dahlt, real democracy doesn't exist
You need more than just elections to make democracy meaningful, meaning extensive rights such as demonstrating
Direct/deliberate democracy:
A system of government in which all members of the community take part in making the decisions that affect that community
E-democracy:
a form of democratic expression through which all those with an interest in a problem or an issue can express themselves via the internet or social media, thereby participating in the shaping of government decision
Modernization and Democracy
Modernization:
the process of acquiring the attributes of a modern society, or one reflecting contemporary ideas, institutions and norms
liberal democracy as the modern way?
Economic security raises the quality of governance by
reducing incentives for corruption
High-income countries have more
interest groups
to reinforce liberal democracy
Wealth softens class differences
, producing a more equal distribution of income and turning the working class away from 'leftist extremism', while the presence of a large middle class tempers class conflict between rich and poor
Education and urbanization
also make a difference. Education inculcates democratic and tolerant values, while towns have always been the wellspring of democracy
Modern:
a term used to characterize a state with an industrial or post-industrial economy, affluence, specialized occupations, social mobility, and an urban and educated population
Huntington's waves of democracy
Waves of democratization:
a group of transitions from non-democratic to democratic political systems that occurs within a specified period of time and that significantly outnumbers transitions in the opposite direction during that period
First wave: 1828 - 1926
Britain/France/US
very long wave, gradual extension of the principles of democracy into political systems (universal suffrage)
Second wave: 1943 - 1962
India/Israel/Japan/West Germany
associated with post-war rebuilding and decolonization
Third wave: 1974 - 1991
Southern and Eastern Europe/Latin America/parts of Africa
characterized by how global it is and how many countries were involved. symbolized by Berlin Wall
Democratization
Political regime:
although, strictly speaking, this has the same meaning as the term political system, it is typically used pejoratively to refer to authoritarian political systems
Transition:
arrangements are made for the new system of government
Consolidation:
widespread acceptance of the new system, supported by evidence that it works
Liberalization:
initiation of the reform sequence, usually as a result of recognition by authoritarian rulers that change is inevitable
Deepening:
democracy evolves from the superficial to the substantial
The future of democracy
End of history:
the idea that a political, economic, or social system has developed to such an extent that it represents the culmination of the evolutionary process
Populism:
a political programme or movement based on championing the rights and interests of the people in the face of the ruling elite
challenges
gender unequality
racism and religious discrimination
economic inequality
Hybrid regimes:
political systems that have some of the appearances of being democratic, but institutions, processes, laws, and policies are manipulated to keep rulers or elite groups in power
features
elections but no alteration in power
limited restraint in exercise of power
mechanisms of rule
administrative manipulations:
testing opposition through regulatory control
politicization of the state and institutions:
form a favorable bureaucracy
patronage and clientelism:
material incentive for votes
examples
Turkey
Kenya
Hungary
additional points
Almost never stable, either becomes democratic or authoritarian
Hybrid regimes may be dangerous, more likely to go to war
Prevalent during and after 3rd wave of democracy
Hybrid classification makes other countries more lenient, enables dangerous behaviour
Non-democratic regimes
authoritarian regimes:
regimes based on submission to authority, characterized by ruling elites, limited political pluralism, centralized political control, intolerance of opposition, and human rights abuses
features
constrained opposition
media censorship
few limits on the powers of government
limited forms of political participation
weak political institutions and processes
poor representation in government
forms
ruling parties
features:
rule by a single party, often combined with a strong president
examples:
many African states and remaining communist states
military government
features:
government by the military, often ruling through a junta comprising of the leaders of each branch of the armed forces
examples:
many African, Asian, and Latin American countries in the decade following WWII. less common today
Coup d'État:
an illegal seizure of political power by the military
personal rule:
a form of rule in which authority is based less on the office held than on personal and often corrupt links between rulers and their patrons, associates, clients, and supporters
features:
the presidency dominates government and the media, with opponents kept off-guard and the opposition marginalized
examples:
several former soviet-union republics and sub-saharan African states
cult of personality:
an arrangement in which authoritarian leaders use the media, propaganda, and political institutions to make sure that they dominate how the wider population relates to a political system
theocracy:
govenment by religous leaders
features:
a rare form of rule in which religious leaders govern directly
examples:
Iran
Islamic Republic:
a state based on an Islamic constitution and full application of Islamic law (sharia), although the precise role of the latter is sometimes ambiguous
absolute monarchy:
a form of government in which a monarch wields absolute power over a state, and in which all other institutions of government are marginal. should not be confused with the limited powers of a constitutional monarchy.
features:
a ruling sovereign enters control, with other members of the royal family in key political and military posts
examples:
Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE
devices
patronage:
support, encouragement, access, and privileges bestowed by one individual or organization on another. in the case of authoritarian regimes, the term describes the use of state resources by leaders to reward those providing support to the regime
media
coercion:
the use of threats, sanctions, or force against groups or individuals as a means of compelling them either to undertake or desist from a particular course of action
military
corruption:
the abuse of office for private gain
patronage
nepotism/cryonism
influence peddling
embezzlement
bribing
kickbacks
electoral fraud
despotism:
the exercise of absolute power, often characterized by the abuse of the powers of office, arbitrary choices, and the use of violent intimidation. the term is interchangeable with
dictatorship, tyranny
and
autocracy
totalitarian regimes:
the most absolute form of authoritarian rule, based either on a guiding ideology or the goal of major social change, with total control exercised by a leader, state, or party over all aspects of public and private life
Juan Linz (differences with authoritarian)
type of mobilization:
a lot of forced mobilization of people into participation
type of leadership:
undefined and high limits of unpredictability, leadership comes from large political organization that delivers them to top position
degree of pluralism:
totalitarian regime is anything but plural, trying to eliminate independent activity within a society
transition democracy problems
absence of functioning vibrant civil society (no social capital)
nature of leadership gives a lot of power to certain institutions, problem when containing the military for example
sultanistic (neo-patrimonial regimes)
features
no extensive mobilization, sometimes crazy projects to entice support
some pluralism but subject to depsotic intervention
highly personalistic leadership, intensely feared and unpredictable, dynastic or clan-based
transition democracy problems
there is no state structure/bureaucracy to organize the country