"What Democracy Is… and Is Not" (Schmitter & Karl, 1991)

Thesis

Democracy is a system in which rulers are held accountable by citizens acting through competing and cooperating elected representatives.

Generic concepts of a regime

Rulers, public realm, citizens, competition, majority rule, cooperation, representatives

Dahl’s 7 “procedural minimal“ conditions (polyarchy)

A) Elected officials control government policy
B) Frequent, fair elections with little coercion
C) Practically all adults can vote
D) Practically all adults can run for office
E) Free expression without severe punishment

F) Alternative sources of information exist and are protected by law
G) Independent associations, parties, and interest groups
H) Elected officials are not overriden by unelected officials
I) The polity is self governing, not constrained by an outside system

Ways to protect minorities from majorities

• bill of rights

• concurrent majorities

• federalism

• grand coalitions

• social pacts between business and labor

• interest associations and social movements

Two principles that make democracy work

• Contingent Consent: winners dont use power to bar losers and loser accept rule of winners

• Bounded Uncertainty: outcomes are uncertain, but within rules

6 ways democracies differ

• consensus

• participation

• access

• responsiveness

• majority rule

• federalism

What is electoralism

Believing that having elections makes a country democratic

Civic culture is

A product of democracy, not a producer of it

Robert Dahl

Coined polyarchy and the 7 conditions

James Madison

Factions are sown into the nature of man

Alexis de tocqueville

Independent groups and civil society

How does it model textbook?

• Mill’s representative government

• Protecting the tyranny of the majority

• Contingent consent = consent theory