What Is Democracy?
The word “democracy” encompasses many different ideas and institutions. The most common idea is a form of government in which decisions are made by the people, or by a majority of the people. This means that all members of a political community have the right to participate equally in decision making, and to have their views represented. It also means that citizens have the right to protest against decisions they don’t like, and to take other actions to make their opinions known, as long as they do not disrupt other people. This right is the fundamental basis of all democracy.
There is wide variation among the different democratic systems of the world, and no one system can be considered as a “model”. However, there are some core elements of democracy that all share:
Free and fair elections are central to democracy, with everyone having access to the ballot box and the opportunity to vote for representatives and laws that reflect their interests and priorities. Governments facilitate peaceful transfers of power, upholding the people’s choice of leaders and respecting the results of elections. Governments are open and transparent, providing information on their work and allowing citizens to hold them accountable.
Democracies are more effective at delivering public goods such as education, health and infrastructure; they manage markets better and are less likely to slide into autocracy. They also foster greater social cohesion by promoting inclusion and a culture of tolerance, and they channel contestation into constructive politics and away from violent conflict.
Democracy is the best method for managing disagreements about what society should be doing, and about how to achieve those goals. But methods are hard to defend without reference to the purposes they serve, and there is a wide range of debate about what the values of democracy should be.
Despite the many challenges to democracy today, it is still the dominant form of government in the world. It will remain so as long as a significant proportion of both the people and their leaders believe that democracy is more practical than any feasible alternative.
There is always room to improve the way democratic systems function, by increasing their inclusiveness and their capacity for popular control. But this can only be done in the context of an underlying belief that democracy is worth fighting for and that it will yield important benefits to humankind. This is a faith that requires constant vigilance and the active participation of all citizens. The most effective way to uphold and defend democracy is by preventing those who seek power for personal or partisan gain from undermining its institutions, or refusing to extend its rights and protections to all the people. This requires all members of a society to do their part, but particularly businesses, which have substantial economic and political clout that they can use for the benefit of democratic principles. The future of democracy depends on this. This is the most important lesson of its turbulent history.
The word “democracy” encompasses many different ideas and institutions. The most common idea is a form of government in which decisions are made by the people, or by a majority of the people. This means that all members of a political community have the right to participate equally in decision making, and to have their views represented. It also means that citizens have the right to protest against decisions they don’t like, and to take other actions to make their opinions known, as long as they do not disrupt other people. This right is the fundamental basis of all democracy. There is wide variation among the different democratic systems of the world, and no one system can be considered as a “model”. However, there are some core elements of democracy that all share: Free and fair elections are central to democracy, with everyone having access to the ballot box and the opportunity to vote for representatives and laws that reflect their interests and priorities. Governments facilitate peaceful transfers of power, upholding the people’s choice of leaders and respecting the results of elections. Governments are open and transparent, providing information on their work and allowing citizens to hold them accountable. Democracies are more effective at delivering public goods such as education, health and infrastructure; they manage markets better and are less likely to slide into autocracy. They also foster greater social cohesion by promoting inclusion and a culture of tolerance, and they channel contestation into constructive politics and away from violent conflict. Democracy is the best method for managing disagreements about what society should be doing, and about how to achieve those goals. But methods are hard to defend without reference to the purposes they serve, and there is a wide range of debate about what the values of democracy should be. Despite the many challenges to democracy today, it is still the dominant form of government in the world. It will remain so as long as a significant proportion of both the people and their leaders believe that democracy is more practical than any feasible alternative. There is always room to improve the way democratic systems function, by increasing their inclusiveness and their capacity for popular control. But this can only be done in the context of an underlying belief that democracy is worth fighting for and that it will yield important benefits to humankind. This is a faith that requires constant vigilance and the active participation of all citizens. The most effective way to uphold and defend democracy is by preventing those who seek power for personal or partisan gain from undermining its institutions, or refusing to extend its rights and protections to all the people. This requires all members of a society to do their part, but particularly businesses, which have substantial economic and political clout that they can use for the benefit of democratic principles. The future of democracy depends on this. This is the most important lesson of its turbulent history.