Class 6: democracy a universal value

Two dominant global narratives: Fukuyama- end of history

• Liberal democracy defeated all rivals:

  • monarchy

  • fascism

  • communism

• Represents the end point of ideological evolution

• Legal equality and pluralism enable:

  • peaceful contestation

  • individual freedom

Two dominant global narratives: Huntington- clash of civilisations

Huntington agrees partially:

• Liberal democracy triumphed in the Cold War

But rejects:

• global adoption of Western liberal democracy

Core argument:

• Post–Cold War conflicts are cultural

• Civilizations (Western vs non-Western) will clash

• Western interference will be resisted

Cultural difference, not ideology, becomes the main axis of conflict.

• therefore is democracy not universally transferable.

Amartya Sen: defending universality without consensus.

Sen’s key move:

• Universality ≠ universal agreement

Instead:

• Universal value = something people could reasonably value

• Requires counterfactual reasoning

Quote (1999):

People would approve of democracy once it becomes a lived reality

Sen’s three values of democracy

• Intrinsic value – democracy is valuable in itself because participation expresses human freedom and dignity.

• Instrumental value – democracy produces better outcomes, e.g. preventing famines through accountability and a free press.

• Constructive value – democracy helps people form and revise preferences through public discussion and learning.

Dalton, You and Shin, findings:

• Democracy is not a Western-only concept

• People worldwide show surprisingly similar understandings

• Supports:

  • liberal democracy’s global legitimacy

  • democracy promotion narratives

Schaffer’s critique: limits of survey research

• Compression – short survey answers oversimplify complex meanings

• Compartmentalization – responses are isolated, losing context and internal logic

• Homogenization – coding and translation make different meanings look the same

Bratton: anchoring democracy

understanding democracy by linking it to concrete meanings (e.g. freedom, procedures, equality, good governance) rather than assuming a single universal definition.

Bratton’s Demokaraasi

• Demokaraasi: local Wolof understanding of democracy in Senegal

• Emphasis on consensus – democracy means agreement, not competition

• Focus on solidarity – mutual support and social harmony

• Even-handedness – fairness understood as balanced distribution, not formal equality

• Different from liberal democracy – prioritises social cohesion over individual choice