What Is Democracy?
The word democracy comes from the Greek demos (people) and kratos (rule). It is any form of government in which supreme power rests with the people and is exercised directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodic free elections.
Democracy is a complex concept that has evolved through many different social and cultural contexts over time. It is also a process of continual evolution and can only function as a system of governance when all the people take an active role in running it. This can be done through voting, protesting, running for office or any number of other ways.
In order to truly be a democracy, a country must have some basic characteristics such as:
Among these, most commonly seen in the West, is the rule of law, which is based on the principle that the will of the majority should prevail. Another is a separation of church and state, whereby the government does not interfere with religious activities or promote particular beliefs.
It is also essential to have freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, which allows people to express their views on political issues. This principle is also recognized as a fundamental human right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
However, the very act of establishing a democracy requires more than just these rights. A country must establish democratic institutions and nurture a spirit of citizenship in its citizens, which is the only way to ensure that all people will have the opportunity to participate in the political process, regardless of their economic situation, ethnicity or other attributes.
The question of how exactly a country should run itself and what kind of democracy it should have is one that is unique to each nation and depends on its own history, culture and level of development. This makes it impossible to give a definitive answer, which is why international organizations should focus their efforts on encouraging and supporting the creation of democratic institutions and societies.
Some theorists have advanced instrumental arguments in favor of democracy, such as Plato, who argued that democracies are superior to monarchy and aristocracy because they do not rely on a minority of highly qualified philosopher-kings. Similarly, scholars like Helene Landemore have used the “diversity-trumps-ability” theorem (Page and Hong 2002; Landemore 2013) to argue that democracy is better than rule by experts.
Nonetheless, not everyone is equally satisfied with the state of their democracy. The majority of people in the United Kingdom (69%), the United States (59%), France (58%) and Japan (53%) say they are dissatisfied with how their democracy works. Meanwhile, 58% of people in Asia-Pacific countries say they are satisfied with the way their democracy is working. This may be because they have a more developed and mature understanding of what democracy is, but also because the infringement of other human rights can limit the extent to which people are able to take part in politics. These limitations may include poverty, poor health and lack of a home.
The word democracy comes from the Greek demos (people) and kratos (rule). It is any form of government in which supreme power rests with the people and is exercised directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodic free elections. Democracy is a complex concept that has evolved through many different social and cultural contexts over time. It is also a process of continual evolution and can only function as a system of governance when all the people take an active role in running it. This can be done through voting, protesting, running for office or any number of other ways. In order to truly be a democracy, a country must have some basic characteristics such as: Among these, most commonly seen in the West, is the rule of law, which is based on the principle that the will of the majority should prevail. Another is a separation of church and state, whereby the government does not interfere with religious activities or promote particular beliefs. It is also essential to have freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, which allows people to express their views on political issues. This principle is also recognized as a fundamental human right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, the very act of establishing a democracy requires more than just these rights. A country must establish democratic institutions and nurture a spirit of citizenship in its citizens, which is the only way to ensure that all people will have the opportunity to participate in the political process, regardless of their economic situation, ethnicity or other attributes. The question of how exactly a country should run itself and what kind of democracy it should have is one that is unique to each nation and depends on its own history, culture and level of development. This makes it impossible to give a definitive answer, which is why international organizations should focus their efforts on encouraging and supporting the creation of democratic institutions and societies. Some theorists have advanced instrumental arguments in favor of democracy, such as Plato, who argued that democracies are superior to monarchy and aristocracy because they do not rely on a minority of highly qualified philosopher-kings. Similarly, scholars like Helene Landemore have used the “diversity-trumps-ability” theorem (Page and Hong 2002; Landemore 2013) to argue that democracy is better than rule by experts. Nonetheless, not everyone is equally satisfied with the state of their democracy. The majority of people in the United Kingdom (69%), the United States (59%), France (58%) and Japan (53%) say they are dissatisfied with how their democracy works. Meanwhile, 58% of people in Asia-Pacific countries say they are satisfied with the way their democracy is working. This may be because they have a more developed and mature understanding of what democracy is, but also because the infringement of other human rights can limit the extent to which people are able to take part in politics. These limitations may include poverty, poor health and lack of a home.