Democratisation
The word Democratisation refers to the process of developing a democratic political system. Democracy is a system of government based on popular sovereignty and the rights of citizens to participate in the decisions that govern their lives. It involves the free and fair conduct of elections, the separation of powers, the rule of law with an independent judiciary, protections of human dignity such as freedom of speech and assembly, the press, reasonable equality of opportunity, the right to a fair trial and habeas corpus, and limited corruption. It also includes an independent civil society that consists of organisations such as NGOs, trade unions and civic associations. The process of Democratisation is a long and difficult one. It has taken centuries for Western countries to develop from pre-industrial societies into fully-fledged democracies. It is not possible to force a country through Democratisation; the subjected society must have a desire for and the capacity to become democratic. It must also have a democratic culture and institutions that will enable it to become a functional democracy.
Many theorists argue that economic development is a key to democratisation, because it promotes an educated and entrepreneurial middle class with interest in and power to demand democratic governance. They further argue that the education of citizens should be a high priority for democratic countries because it is a prerequisite for a democratic political culture. While there is no consensus on what constitutes a democratic culture, it usually includes a tolerance for diversity, a belief that citizens can be trusted, a respect for equality and freedom, and the willingness to compromise and cooperate. These values and attitudes are often referred to as the “soft underpinnings” of democracy.
A common concern is that without these soft underpinnings, democracy will not have the durability to withstand economic and social crises. This fear is supported by the fact that many early democracies suffered reversals after economic or social collapse, as evidenced in the collapse of the Soviet bloc and the failure of Latin American democratisation in the 1950s. It is therefore a goal of many scholars to find ways to increase the durability and sustainability of democratic systems.
There is a great deal of debate on what causes Democratisation, but most researchers accept that it takes a long time and involves a number of steps. Some Democratisation theorists advocate a multi-stage model whereby societies progress from pro-democratic civil society changes to procedural or working democracy and then to substantive democracy. Others prefer to stress the importance of favourable structural conditions and elite choice.
The latter approach tends to produce a very lengthy list of factors that contribute to Democratisation, making it difficult to make generalizations about the process. In contrast, the former approach tends to overstate the role of international factors in Democratisation, despite the fact that there are many examples of countries that have moved from authoritarian regimes to democratic ones through foreign intervention. The outcome of the Afghan and Iraq interventions will likely reconfirm the widely held view that foreign-induced Democratisation is unlikely to succeed, except in exceptional circumstances.
The word Democratisation refers to the process of developing a democratic political system. Democracy is a system of government based on popular sovereignty and the rights of citizens to participate in the decisions that govern their lives. It involves the free and fair conduct of elections, the separation of powers, the rule of law with an independent judiciary, protections of human dignity such as freedom of speech and assembly, the press, reasonable equality of opportunity, the right to a fair trial and habeas corpus, and limited corruption. It also includes an independent civil society that consists of organisations such as NGOs, trade unions and civic associations. The process of Democratisation is a long and difficult one. It has taken centuries for Western countries to develop from pre-industrial societies into fully-fledged democracies. It is not possible to force a country through Democratisation; the subjected society must have a desire for and the capacity to become democratic. It must also have a democratic culture and institutions that will enable it to become a functional democracy. Many theorists argue that economic development is a key to democratisation, because it promotes an educated and entrepreneurial middle class with interest in and power to demand democratic governance. They further argue that the education of citizens should be a high priority for democratic countries because it is a prerequisite for a democratic political culture. While there is no consensus on what constitutes a democratic culture, it usually includes a tolerance for diversity, a belief that citizens can be trusted, a respect for equality and freedom, and the willingness to compromise and cooperate. These values and attitudes are often referred to as the “soft underpinnings” of democracy. A common concern is that without these soft underpinnings, democracy will not have the durability to withstand economic and social crises. This fear is supported by the fact that many early democracies suffered reversals after economic or social collapse, as evidenced in the collapse of the Soviet bloc and the failure of Latin American democratisation in the 1950s. It is therefore a goal of many scholars to find ways to increase the durability and sustainability of democratic systems. There is a great deal of debate on what causes Democratisation, but most researchers accept that it takes a long time and involves a number of steps. Some Democratisation theorists advocate a multi-stage model whereby societies progress from pro-democratic civil society changes to procedural or working democracy and then to substantive democracy. Others prefer to stress the importance of favourable structural conditions and elite choice. The latter approach tends to produce a very lengthy list of factors that contribute to Democratisation, making it difficult to make generalizations about the process. In contrast, the former approach tends to overstate the role of international factors in Democratisation, despite the fact that there are many examples of countries that have moved from authoritarian regimes to democratic ones through foreign intervention. The outcome of the Afghan and Iraq interventions will likely reconfirm the widely held view that foreign-induced Democratisation is unlikely to succeed, except in exceptional circumstances.