What Is Democracy?
Democratisation is the process by which a society moves towards a more democratic political regime. This process has been a key topic in modern political science. The study of democratisation includes a wide range of practical/strategic and theoretical issues. Explanations of democratisation include identification of recurrent mechanisms that democratise a polity, plus specification of the conditions that affect emergence of these mechanisms.
There are different moral justifications for democracy that can be evaluated along at least two dimensions: instrumentally, by reference to the outcomes of democratic decision making compared with other methods; and intrinsically, by reference to values inherent in democracy. Instrumentally, democracy is argued to be good because it results in laws and policies that tend to advance the interests of citizens; and intrinsically, because democratic decision-making enables people to become better informed about their interests and needs.
Many analysts have emphasized the role of economic development in democratisation, by which an educated middle class develops interest and capacity to demand greater influence over governance issues. A common belief is that this pressure will eventually overwhelm even the most repressive of governments. It is also widely held that democratic processes require the presence of civil society, which includes a range of political, social and cultural groups and practices that protect citizens’ rights and liberties.
The debate about the nature of democratic processes has also continued to reverberate in recent years. It has been re-energized by the success of democratic movements in countries such as Brazil, India and Turkey. Critics point out that these successes are not the norm and that democracy is not a universal good. In addition, they argue that incipient democracies can be susceptible to populist, nativist and religious backlash that undermines underlying structural changes moving in a democratising direction.
Those who argue for the importance of civil society in democratisation have a range of motivations, from liberal and utilitarian arguments to a view that democracy is the best way to ensure the protection of human rights. They also believe that the most effective way to promote democratisation is at the local level, where people will be more aware of local concerns and have a direct impact on the decisions that are made.
Another important argument is that any democratisation that is instigated from outside stands little chance of succeeding, except under very exceptional circumstances, such as the post-World War II democratization of Japan and Germany. It is also widely believed that democracy requires an educated and relatively wealthy electorate. However, critics have pointed out that poverty and inequality can produce a similar effect and that the persistence of wealthier authoritarian regimes in places like China and Saudi Arabia is evidence that these factors are not sufficient to prevent democratisation.
Democratisation is the process by which a society moves towards a more democratic political regime. This process has been a key topic in modern political science. The study of democratisation includes a wide range of practical/strategic and theoretical issues. Explanations of democratisation include identification of recurrent mechanisms that democratise a polity, plus specification of the conditions that affect emergence of these mechanisms. There are different moral justifications for democracy that can be evaluated along at least two dimensions: instrumentally, by reference to the outcomes of democratic decision making compared with other methods; and intrinsically, by reference to values inherent in democracy. Instrumentally, democracy is argued to be good because it results in laws and policies that tend to advance the interests of citizens; and intrinsically, because democratic decision-making enables people to become better informed about their interests and needs. Many analysts have emphasized the role of economic development in democratisation, by which an educated middle class develops interest and capacity to demand greater influence over governance issues. A common belief is that this pressure will eventually overwhelm even the most repressive of governments. It is also widely held that democratic processes require the presence of civil society, which includes a range of political, social and cultural groups and practices that protect citizens’ rights and liberties. The debate about the nature of democratic processes has also continued to reverberate in recent years. It has been re-energized by the success of democratic movements in countries such as Brazil, India and Turkey. Critics point out that these successes are not the norm and that democracy is not a universal good. In addition, they argue that incipient democracies can be susceptible to populist, nativist and religious backlash that undermines underlying structural changes moving in a democratising direction. Those who argue for the importance of civil society in democratisation have a range of motivations, from liberal and utilitarian arguments to a view that democracy is the best way to ensure the protection of human rights. They also believe that the most effective way to promote democratisation is at the local level, where people will be more aware of local concerns and have a direct impact on the decisions that are made. Another important argument is that any democratisation that is instigated from outside stands little chance of succeeding, except under very exceptional circumstances, such as the post-World War II democratization of Japan and Germany. It is also widely believed that democracy requires an educated and relatively wealthy electorate. However, critics have pointed out that poverty and inequality can produce a similar effect and that the persistence of wealthier authoritarian regimes in places like China and Saudi Arabia is evidence that these factors are not sufficient to prevent democratisation.