The Process of Democracy
Democratisation, sometimes known as democraticization or the process of democratisation, is the structural change in government from authoritarian to democratic forms of governance. It involves substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction, including democracy itself as the fundamental form of government and democratic principles of political participation, contestation, equality and rights.
The processes of democratisation can take many different forms. The goal of democratisation is to have a democratic state, which has freedom of speech, political association and assembly, and a representative legislature. Democracies also have free and fair elections. In addition, a democracy must have the rule of law and respect the rights of citizens to privacy and freedom from physical violence and discrimination. In practice, many democratised countries still lack these basic guarantees of civil liberties.
There is a great deal of debate over the factors that promote or limit democratisation. These factors can be economic, cultural, international or personal. Economic growth is often seen as a key factor in democratisation, as economic opportunities and wealth can provide incentives for people to participate in the political process and make demands on their governments. In addition, a free and competitive market is necessary for economic progress. There are also theories of democratisation based on socialisation and the diffusion of knowledge, such as Condorcet’s jury theorem, which suggests that a larger number of decision-makers can make better decisions than a single individual, and that the largest possible number of participants in any process will yield the best result.
It is also believed that the spread of democracy will reduce inequality and create greater prosperity. Various indices of democracy have been developed, which can be used to rank states and countries, as well as to track a country’s progress towards a democratic regime.
Some of the key features of a democratic society include equal opportunity, participation and freedom from fear and coercion, but the extent to which these principles are practised differs from country to country. The political system of a democracy is based on the assumption that the majority will decide issues by vote. This allows people of diverse backgrounds and interests to be represented in the parliament and government. It also prevents the formation of elites whose power is derived from personal connections or wealth.
However, attempts to impose democracy have been frustrated by the inability of societies to adapt to the demands of democracy, such as the need for liberal education, to embrace new technologies and globalisation, to address problems of gender disparity and inequalities and to abandon traditions or ideologies that are considered anti-democratic. These failures have led to widespread alienation and a sense of dissatisfaction with rulers and governmental systems. This is particularly the case in the least democratised region of the world, the Muslim Middle East, where repeated pressures to introduce democratic reforms have failed to produce anything more than various forms of procedural democracy. This has created serious legitimacy problems for rulers and their governmental systems.
Democratisation, sometimes known as democraticization or the process of democratisation, is the structural change in government from authoritarian to democratic forms of governance. It involves substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction, including democracy itself as the fundamental form of government and democratic principles of political participation, contestation, equality and rights. The processes of democratisation can take many different forms. The goal of democratisation is to have a democratic state, which has freedom of speech, political association and assembly, and a representative legislature. Democracies also have free and fair elections. In addition, a democracy must have the rule of law and respect the rights of citizens to privacy and freedom from physical violence and discrimination. In practice, many democratised countries still lack these basic guarantees of civil liberties. There is a great deal of debate over the factors that promote or limit democratisation. These factors can be economic, cultural, international or personal. Economic growth is often seen as a key factor in democratisation, as economic opportunities and wealth can provide incentives for people to participate in the political process and make demands on their governments. In addition, a free and competitive market is necessary for economic progress. There are also theories of democratisation based on socialisation and the diffusion of knowledge, such as Condorcet’s jury theorem, which suggests that a larger number of decision-makers can make better decisions than a single individual, and that the largest possible number of participants in any process will yield the best result. It is also believed that the spread of democracy will reduce inequality and create greater prosperity. Various indices of democracy have been developed, which can be used to rank states and countries, as well as to track a country’s progress towards a democratic regime. Some of the key features of a democratic society include equal opportunity, participation and freedom from fear and coercion, but the extent to which these principles are practised differs from country to country. The political system of a democracy is based on the assumption that the majority will decide issues by vote. This allows people of diverse backgrounds and interests to be represented in the parliament and government. It also prevents the formation of elites whose power is derived from personal connections or wealth. However, attempts to impose democracy have been frustrated by the inability of societies to adapt to the demands of democracy, such as the need for liberal education, to embrace new technologies and globalisation, to address problems of gender disparity and inequalities and to abandon traditions or ideologies that are considered anti-democratic. These failures have led to widespread alienation and a sense of dissatisfaction with rulers and governmental systems. This is particularly the case in the least democratised region of the world, the Muslim Middle East, where repeated pressures to introduce democratic reforms have failed to produce anything more than various forms of procedural democracy. This has created serious legitimacy problems for rulers and their governmental systems.