Democracies and Democracy
Democracy is a political system in which citizens are able to participate in their government through free and fair elections. A democracy is governed by laws that protect fundamental rights and promote a balance of power between the branches of government and between citizens. Democracies are found around the world and each has unique characteristics, but what they all have in common is a commitment to basic principles and institutions that uphold those principles.
Democracy can be damaged or destroyed when people or governments fail to uphold its basic principles or undermine its institutions for partisan or personal gain. It takes daily vigilance to keep democracy healthy and strong. Democracy can be restored when people work together to support its institutions and respect the rights and freedoms it promises.
Students should have a clear understanding of what democracy means and why it matters. They should also know what role citizens play in democracy, including their duties and responsibilities as citizens. Finally, they should understand the challenges to democracy and what we can do to address them.
A basic definition of democracy is “government by the people.” It has come to mean more than that in practice, however. Democracy is more than elections and popular control of the government; it also requires the participation of all citizens in civic life, compromise, and a commitment to a shared vision of the future. Democracy depends on a dynamic relationship between society and its government. It requires citizens to make a contribution—through taxes, votes, and service—and citizens must accept the limits of power and the need for checks and balances.
The Global State of Democracy Index (GSoDI) was developed as a tool to help identify democratic strengths and weaknesses in nations around the world. It combines 13 extant data sources and 116 individual indicators to assess a nation’s democratic quality on five attributes: representative government, fundamental rights, checks on the government, impartial administration, and participatory engagement.
In addition to the GSoDI, a number of other surveys measure different aspects of democracy. For example, the European Social Survey (ESS) includes questions that ask respondents to rank how important they think various elements of democracy are. These include the right to vote, free and fair elections, the ability to discuss ideas with others, the right to form interest groups, the right to protest decisions by the government, and more.
To help get started on defining democracy, divide the class into small groups and give each group the Student backgrounder –What is Democracy?Opens in new window and the Frayer modelOpens in new Window. Encourage the groups to discuss their thinking and record the big ideas that emerge. Then, have each group develop a working definition of democracy and post it in a visible spot. Through consensus in a class discussion, the groups can reach a class definition of democracy. This definition can be posted in a visible spot for the remainder of the lesson. Then, the class can consider whether the way the definition was derived was itself a democratic process.
Democracy is a political system in which citizens are able to participate in their government through free and fair elections. A democracy is governed by laws that protect fundamental rights and promote a balance of power between the branches of government and between citizens. Democracies are found around the world and each has unique characteristics, but what they all have in common is a commitment to basic principles and institutions that uphold those principles. Democracy can be damaged or destroyed when people or governments fail to uphold its basic principles or undermine its institutions for partisan or personal gain. It takes daily vigilance to keep democracy healthy and strong. Democracy can be restored when people work together to support its institutions and respect the rights and freedoms it promises. Students should have a clear understanding of what democracy means and why it matters. They should also know what role citizens play in democracy, including their duties and responsibilities as citizens. Finally, they should understand the challenges to democracy and what we can do to address them. A basic definition of democracy is “government by the people.” It has come to mean more than that in practice, however. Democracy is more than elections and popular control of the government; it also requires the participation of all citizens in civic life, compromise, and a commitment to a shared vision of the future. Democracy depends on a dynamic relationship between society and its government. It requires citizens to make a contribution—through taxes, votes, and service—and citizens must accept the limits of power and the need for checks and balances. The Global State of Democracy Index (GSoDI) was developed as a tool to help identify democratic strengths and weaknesses in nations around the world. It combines 13 extant data sources and 116 individual indicators to assess a nation’s democratic quality on five attributes: representative government, fundamental rights, checks on the government, impartial administration, and participatory engagement. In addition to the GSoDI, a number of other surveys measure different aspects of democracy. For example, the European Social Survey (ESS) includes questions that ask respondents to rank how important they think various elements of democracy are. These include the right to vote, free and fair elections, the ability to discuss ideas with others, the right to form interest groups, the right to protest decisions by the government, and more. To help get started on defining democracy, divide the class into small groups and give each group the Student backgrounder –What is Democracy?Opens in new window and the Frayer modelOpens in new Window. Encourage the groups to discuss their thinking and record the big ideas that emerge. Then, have each group develop a working definition of democracy and post it in a visible spot. Through consensus in a class discussion, the groups can reach a class definition of democracy. This definition can be posted in a visible spot for the remainder of the lesson. Then, the class can consider whether the way the definition was derived was itself a democratic process.