Democracy: What is It?Democracy: What is It?

January 9th, 2002

Democracy – Basic ElementsDemocracy – Basic Elements

consent of the governed (process)– free and fair elections in which government can

be defeated– equality of political rights

protection of individual rights (outcome)– freedom of speech (including free press)– civil liberties

Democracy – Basic ElementsDemocracy – Basic Elements

basic elements– consent of the governed (process)– protection of individual rights (outcome)

when is a political system democratic?– continuum– can have more or less of the two values above– the point at which a system is a democracy is

contestable some systems are obviously democracies some systems are obviously non-democratic some systems are in between

Democracy -- A ProcessDemocracy -- A Process

Representative (Delegate) Democracy

Direct Democracy

Participatory Democracy

Representative (Trustee) Democracy

Opportunities for Mass Participation

HIGHLOW

Democracy -- The OutcomesDemocracy -- The Outcomes

Low High

Protection of Individual Rights

Communitarian

Emphasis on General Welfare of the Community

Libertarian

Emphasis on Limited Government and Rights of the Individual

MODELS OF DEMOCRACYMODELS OF DEMOCRACYIndividual Rights/Limited Gov’t

General Welfare

High Mass Participation

Low Mass Participation

Majoritarian Majoritarian DemocracyDemocracy

Elite Elite DemocracyDemocracy

Liberal Liberal DemocracyDemocracy

Models of DemocracyModels of Democracy

majoritarian democracy most important goal is maximizing mass participation high mass participation will result in decisions being

made that maximize the general welfare

– majoritarian democratic critiques of other models elite democracy – there is no such thing as an elite that is

not self-interested and will look after the good of the general masses

liberal democracy – emphasis on individual rights is used to limit government in order to protect small, priveleged groups

Models of DemocracyModels of Democracy

elite democracy most important goal is the general welfare requires an elite capable of pursuing the long-term

interests of society – actually values low mass participation

– elite democratic critiques of other models liberal democracy – undue focus on individual rights

limits government’s ability to pursue the general welfare of the community

majoritarian democracy – masses are too uninterested, incompetent or, at worst, dangerous to be given control over decision-making

Models of DemocracyModels of Democracy

liberal democracy most important goal is protecting individual rights does not prefer low mass participation but may be willing

to accept it

– liberal democratic critiques of other models elite democracy – if unchecked, elites will use power to

infringe the rights of individuals majoritarian democracy – if unchecked, majority will

infringe the rights of minorities (tyranny of the majority)

Models of Democracy – Viewing Models of Democracy – Viewing Democracy Over TimeDemocracy Over Time elite democrats

– the masses will always be incapable of making decisions for the long-term common good

liberal democrats– elites and the majorities will always be prone to infringing

individual rights if given the chance

majoritarian democrats– elites will always be self-serving– masses can learn over time to become better democratic

citizens if given a meaningful opportunity to do so elite and liberal democrats would argue that the risk is too great

CLASSIFYING DEMOCRACIESCLASSIFYING DEMOCRACIES

within a range of models incorporating some minimum amount of meaningful citizen input and some minimuim protection of basic rights, there are different models of democracy

choice of models is completely normative there is no “right” model the best model of democracy is contestable

CLASSIFYING DEMOCRACIES...CLASSIFYING DEMOCRACIES...

typology of models of democracy as a “map” for comparing democratic systems– tells us what to look at in undertaking comparisons– emphasizes the relative nature of models of

democracy democracy as a concept is multi-faceted and complex

– forces the consideration of two questions to what degree are different political systems based on

different models of democracy? to what degree do different political systems look like

their underlying model of democracy in practice

Things to Remember...Things to Remember...

there is no one, single, accepted model of democracy– within a range of basic elements (consent of the

governed, protection of individual rights), democracy means different things to different people