Democratisation
Democratisation means the process by which societies move towards democracy. It is usually considered to be a long-term process requiring the development of civic and political institutions and the establishment of public authority that is responsive to the people’s will. It is also a political process that is often contested by those who oppose it or believe that it is not desirable for their society. Democracies are usually thought to be more stable and prosperous than non-democracies.
Despite the fact that the number of democracies has quadrupled in the last few decades and that democracy seems to have established itself as the preferred form of government, there is no universal agreement about how democracy works or what it actually is. Some favour the gradual change that supposedly characterised Great Britain’s emergence from an absolute monarchy to one of the world’s most enduring democracies, while others stress a revolutionary approach. Similarly, there is no consensus about whether the processes of democratisation are generally bottom-up or top-down.
What is clear is that democratisation is seldom something that can be instigated from outside, and even when it is, its success is not assured. In many cases, the democratic process has been sabotaged or undermined by the re-emergence of entrenched traditions or ideologies in a given society. For example, when the pro-western regime of Iran under Mohammad Reza Shah (from 1941 to 1979) embarked in the mid-1970s on processes of expanding civil society as part of its democratisation strategy, it ran into the resistance of traditional Shi’ite Islamic cultural values. This resulted in the undermining of democratisation and a growth in violent disorder in Iran.
Another important point is that democratisation is usually a slow process, and that the conditions for its success depend on the nature of the societies involved. In general, it is easier to establish democratic systems in industrialised societies with high levels of social capital, where people have access to education and jobs, and where the population is relatively free of religious or tribal traditions that might otherwise interfere with the functioning of political organisations.
It is also difficult to establish democratic systems where there are large ethnic or regional groups that feel a strong sense of identity and are unwilling to allow other, less well-established groups to enter the political arena. Moreover, the emergence of a democratic system requires societal institutions that enable individuals to exchange and evaluate contending facts and normative views, and it is much easier to achieve this in societies where there are already substantial levels of tolerance and respect for different beliefs. This is why it is so important for those who support democratisation to work to promote policies that foster human rights and civil liberties around the world. In the advanced industrialised countries this means supporting what is known as an ethical foreign policy, and in developing societies it involves working to develop democratic civil-society organisations. This can be done at a national or local level, and by encouraging citizens to engage with those organisations themselves.
Democratisation means the process by which societies move towards democracy. It is usually considered to be a long-term process requiring the development of civic and political institutions and the establishment of public authority that is responsive to the people’s will. It is also a political process that is often contested by those who oppose it or believe that it is not desirable for their society. Democracies are usually thought to be more stable and prosperous than non-democracies. Despite the fact that the number of democracies has quadrupled in the last few decades and that democracy seems to have established itself as the preferred form of government, there is no universal agreement about how democracy works or what it actually is. Some favour the gradual change that supposedly characterised Great Britain’s emergence from an absolute monarchy to one of the world’s most enduring democracies, while others stress a revolutionary approach. Similarly, there is no consensus about whether the processes of democratisation are generally bottom-up or top-down. What is clear is that democratisation is seldom something that can be instigated from outside, and even when it is, its success is not assured. In many cases, the democratic process has been sabotaged or undermined by the re-emergence of entrenched traditions or ideologies in a given society. For example, when the pro-western regime of Iran under Mohammad Reza Shah (from 1941 to 1979) embarked in the mid-1970s on processes of expanding civil society as part of its democratisation strategy, it ran into the resistance of traditional Shi’ite Islamic cultural values. This resulted in the undermining of democratisation and a growth in violent disorder in Iran. Another important point is that democratisation is usually a slow process, and that the conditions for its success depend on the nature of the societies involved. In general, it is easier to establish democratic systems in industrialised societies with high levels of social capital, where people have access to education and jobs, and where the population is relatively free of religious or tribal traditions that might otherwise interfere with the functioning of political organisations. It is also difficult to establish democratic systems where there are large ethnic or regional groups that feel a strong sense of identity and are unwilling to allow other, less well-established groups to enter the political arena. Moreover, the emergence of a democratic system requires societal institutions that enable individuals to exchange and evaluate contending facts and normative views, and it is much easier to achieve this in societies where there are already substantial levels of tolerance and respect for different beliefs. This is why it is so important for those who support democratisation to work to promote policies that foster human rights and civil liberties around the world. In the advanced industrialised countries this means supporting what is known as an ethical foreign policy, and in developing societies it involves working to develop democratic civil-society organisations. This can be done at a national or local level, and by encouraging citizens to engage with those organisations themselves.