Democracy – A Government of, By and For the People
Democracy: A Government of, by and for the People
The etymology of the word “democracy” suggests that its fundamental meaning is simple enough: rule by the people. The idea behind democracy is a powerful one, a concept whose power has fueled some of the most profound and moving expressions of human will and intellect throughout history, from Pericles in ancient Athens to Vaclav Havel in modern Czechoslovakia. In a world where totalitarian regimes and military dictatorships claim to be democratic, the concept of democracy must be safeguarded by those who believe in it.
It is widely accepted that democracy involves free and fair elections, the right to participate in public life and to express opinions freely, an independent press, a transparent legal system, checks and balances on power, and freedom of association and assembly. Democracy is also based on the idea that all members of society are equal and that they can equally influence the decisions that govern them.
Democracies come in many shapes and sizes, however. Some are direct democracies, where citizens directly decide laws and policies by casting votes. Others are deliberative democracies, where groups of citizens meet to discuss issues and then make decisions by consensus. And still others are aggregative democracies, where citizens are asked to vote on social policies and the policy with the most votes is implemented.
The definition of a democracy is complex and debated intensely, and there is no single way to measure it. There are a number of different democracy indices, with some focusing on the quality of elections and other processes, while others focus on the institutions that support these processes, such as the strength of civil society or the level of media independence. The most commonly used index is the Democracy in the World Index (DIW), which takes into account political, economic and social dimensions of democracy.
DIW’s methodology combines expert assessments of country-level factors with public opinion surveys from around the world. The Index’s weightings are derived from the answers to 60 questions. For countries for which survey results are missing, experts’ assessments and survey results from similar countries are utilized to calculate a score, which then determines the country’s regime-type classification.
A growing number of governments, organizations and individuals are concerned about the state of democracy in the world today. Anger at ruling elites, economic dissatisfaction and anxiety about rapid social change have fueled political upheaval in regions across the globe, with movements and leaders on both the left and the right of the political spectrum challenging fundamental norms and institutions of democracy. Organizations from Freedom House to the Economist Intelligence Unit to V-Dem have documented global declines in the health of democracy over recent years.
These concerns about the future of democracy are well founded. While many people in the world are generally satisfied with their ability to take part in democracy through elections and other political processes, the vast majority of people surveyed believe that the current generation of elected officials does not care about what they think.
Democracy: A Government of, by and for the People The etymology of the word “democracy” suggests that its fundamental meaning is simple enough: rule by the people. The idea behind democracy is a powerful one, a concept whose power has fueled some of the most profound and moving expressions of human will and intellect throughout history, from Pericles in ancient Athens to Vaclav Havel in modern Czechoslovakia. In a world where totalitarian regimes and military dictatorships claim to be democratic, the concept of democracy must be safeguarded by those who believe in it. It is widely accepted that democracy involves free and fair elections, the right to participate in public life and to express opinions freely, an independent press, a transparent legal system, checks and balances on power, and freedom of association and assembly. Democracy is also based on the idea that all members of society are equal and that they can equally influence the decisions that govern them. Democracies come in many shapes and sizes, however. Some are direct democracies, where citizens directly decide laws and policies by casting votes. Others are deliberative democracies, where groups of citizens meet to discuss issues and then make decisions by consensus. And still others are aggregative democracies, where citizens are asked to vote on social policies and the policy with the most votes is implemented. The definition of a democracy is complex and debated intensely, and there is no single way to measure it. There are a number of different democracy indices, with some focusing on the quality of elections and other processes, while others focus on the institutions that support these processes, such as the strength of civil society or the level of media independence. The most commonly used index is the Democracy in the World Index (DIW), which takes into account political, economic and social dimensions of democracy. DIW’s methodology combines expert assessments of country-level factors with public opinion surveys from around the world. The Index’s weightings are derived from the answers to 60 questions. For countries for which survey results are missing, experts’ assessments and survey results from similar countries are utilized to calculate a score, which then determines the country’s regime-type classification. A growing number of governments, organizations and individuals are concerned about the state of democracy in the world today. Anger at ruling elites, economic dissatisfaction and anxiety about rapid social change have fueled political upheaval in regions across the globe, with movements and leaders on both the left and the right of the political spectrum challenging fundamental norms and institutions of democracy. Organizations from Freedom House to the Economist Intelligence Unit to V-Dem have documented global declines in the health of democracy over recent years. These concerns about the future of democracy are well founded. While many people in the world are generally satisfied with their ability to take part in democracy through elections and other political processes, the vast majority of people surveyed believe that the current generation of elected officials does not care about what they think.