Democratisation
Democracy is a political system in which people are given the power to choose their own leaders and policies. It is usually based on free and fair elections, but also includes other mechanisms such as checks and balances, citizen participation and transparency. The goal is to create a government that represents the interests of the majority of citizens without oppressing minorities.
While there is a wide variety of definitions of democracy, most include some form of popular sovereignty, the transfer of power between different social groups in a democratic manner and a commitment to human rights. There are a number of indicators used to measure the progress of a democracy, including the frequency of political parties, the duration of a legislature and the time between election cycles. A key indicator of democratisation is the percentage of voters that vote in each election.
It is widely accepted that the success of a democratisation process depends on the existence of an enabling environment. This requires a range of institutional factors, such as electoral rules and procedures that allow for the identification of legitimate political opposition, the availability of the media to present the competing views, and the existence of civil society organisations and other institutions that can bring pressure to bear on politicians. A political culture that values freedom and equality, as well as a sense of citizenship and obligation, is also necessary.
There is less agreement about the specific attitudes and values that constitute a democratic culture, but most scholars acknowledge that it must include a willingness to tolerate diversity, a belief that others are basically trustworthy, a sense of reciprocity and a commitment to freedom and equality. A democratic political culture is often compared to an enabling environment and, when present, can greatly facilitate democratisation.
Democratisation has been linked to economic development, with the emergence of a middle class that is interested in political issues and able to exert pressure on repressive regimes to change. This argument is often based on the experience of western Europe and the United States, where growth facilitated a transition to democracy.
Another important factor is education. Research shows that people with more education are more likely to vote and to participate in civic activities, such as volunteering or attending public meetings, than those with less education. People with more education also give twice as much of their income at every income level to civic organisations than those with less.
However, some scholars, such as Dankwart A. Rustow, and Guillermo O’Donnell and Philippe C. Schmitter, have argued that there are no “big” structural causes of democratisation and that the transition to democracy is rather a series of contingent events. They point to the link between war and democratisation and argue that the transition from authoritarianism to democracy has been shaped by the characteristics of the elites that oversee the shift. They also highlight the fact that wealthy countries have a history of reverting to authoritarianism and note that the spread of democracy has often been preceded by a period of economic crisis.
Democracy is a political system in which people are given the power to choose their own leaders and policies. It is usually based on free and fair elections, but also includes other mechanisms such as checks and balances, citizen participation and transparency. The goal is to create a government that represents the interests of the majority of citizens without oppressing minorities. While there is a wide variety of definitions of democracy, most include some form of popular sovereignty, the transfer of power between different social groups in a democratic manner and a commitment to human rights. There are a number of indicators used to measure the progress of a democracy, including the frequency of political parties, the duration of a legislature and the time between election cycles. A key indicator of democratisation is the percentage of voters that vote in each election. It is widely accepted that the success of a democratisation process depends on the existence of an enabling environment. This requires a range of institutional factors, such as electoral rules and procedures that allow for the identification of legitimate political opposition, the availability of the media to present the competing views, and the existence of civil society organisations and other institutions that can bring pressure to bear on politicians. A political culture that values freedom and equality, as well as a sense of citizenship and obligation, is also necessary. There is less agreement about the specific attitudes and values that constitute a democratic culture, but most scholars acknowledge that it must include a willingness to tolerate diversity, a belief that others are basically trustworthy, a sense of reciprocity and a commitment to freedom and equality. A democratic political culture is often compared to an enabling environment and, when present, can greatly facilitate democratisation. Democratisation has been linked to economic development, with the emergence of a middle class that is interested in political issues and able to exert pressure on repressive regimes to change. This argument is often based on the experience of western Europe and the United States, where growth facilitated a transition to democracy. Another important factor is education. Research shows that people with more education are more likely to vote and to participate in civic activities, such as volunteering or attending public meetings, than those with less education. People with more education also give twice as much of their income at every income level to civic organisations than those with less. However, some scholars, such as Dankwart A. Rustow, and Guillermo O’Donnell and Philippe C. Schmitter, have argued that there are no “big” structural causes of democratisation and that the transition to democracy is rather a series of contingent events. They point to the link between war and democratisation and argue that the transition from authoritarianism to democracy has been shaped by the characteristics of the elites that oversee the shift. They also highlight the fact that wealthy countries have a history of reverting to authoritarianism and note that the spread of democracy has often been preceded by a period of economic crisis.