POLI1230 - Democracy and Authoritaianism

democracy

system of governance in which rulers are held accountable for their actions in the public realm by citizens, acting indirectly through elected representatives

institutionalized

various patterns must be habitually known, practiced, and accepted by most, if not all actors

rulers

people who occupy specialized authority roles and can give legitimate commands to others

public realm

making of collective norms and choices that are binding on the society and backed by state coercion

liberal conception of democracy

advocates restricting the public realm

socialist/social democratic conception of democracy

extend the public realm through regulation, subsidization, and collective ownership of property

features of a democratic society

• citizens

• competition

• frequent and fair elections

• majority rules

• cooperation

• citizens resolve own differences

electoralism

the mere fact of elections is enough to constitute a democracy

representatives

represent a group of people in a democracy

2 added conditions to Dahl’s “minimal conditions” for democracy

• elected officials should be free to exercise their power without overriding opposition

• polity must be self governing

what makes democracy feasible?

• consent of the people

• elected officials will not bar others from taking power

• losers will respect winner’s rights to make binding decisions

• some degree of uncertainty

what democracy is not

• not more economically efficient than other forms of government

• not more administratively efficient

• not likely to appear more orderly, stable, or governable