What Is Democracy?
Democracy means “rule by the people”. It is the system that allows citizens to make decisions for their country and for themselves, either directly or through elected representatives. Democracy aims to bring together all the views of society in order to solve problems and create a better future for everyone. Democracy also requires that the system is honest and that promises are kept, whether they be about the economy, education, health or security. Democracy is a process and it takes time for the people to become democratically mature.
There are many forms of democracy, from townships with a few hundred residents to nations of 50 million. The most common form is representative democracy, where citizens elect officials to decide political issues and formulate laws. This form of democracy is largely responsible for the rapid economic growth that has taken place in most of the world’s countries.
However, even if there is electoral democracy in a nation, the government is still not fully democratic. It is necessary to extend participation by citizens beyond voting, so that the people run their own government rather than having a government run for them. This is the essence of a truly democratic process and it is why the right to extensive participation is included in human rights treaties like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and others.
Some people have endorsed democracy on epistemic grounds, arguing that it is the best way to exploit the cognitive diversity of citizens in solving public problems. This is because democracy brings a wide variety of views into the decision making process, thus allowing many different perspectives to be considered. Another argument is that democracy promotes the moral character of citizens because it gives them a sense of ownership of their communities.
Other people have endorsed democracy as an instrument for solving particular problems, such as poverty and war. They argue that democracies tend to be more effective at fighting poverty and waging war than non-democracies because they are more likely to be transparent and accountable, thus fostering good governance.
Still other people have argued that democracy is the only practical way to ensure a minimum level of human rights protection, including freedom of speech and association, the right to assembly, the right to free media and the right to privacy and the integrity of the home. This is because democracy is the only system that can guarantee these rights to all citizens without discrimination on the basis of race, religion or any other arbitrary factor.
Today, anger at political elites and economic dissatisfaction have fuelled a wave of revolt around the globe, with protesters calling for fundamental change in many established democracies. However, it is important to remember that no one person or nation is born a democracy and that democracy cannot be sustained as long as the basic ideals of freedom of expression, the rule of law and the equality of all citizens are not fully embraced and enforced.
Democracy means “rule by the people”. It is the system that allows citizens to make decisions for their country and for themselves, either directly or through elected representatives. Democracy aims to bring together all the views of society in order to solve problems and create a better future for everyone. Democracy also requires that the system is honest and that promises are kept, whether they be about the economy, education, health or security. Democracy is a process and it takes time for the people to become democratically mature. There are many forms of democracy, from townships with a few hundred residents to nations of 50 million. The most common form is representative democracy, where citizens elect officials to decide political issues and formulate laws. This form of democracy is largely responsible for the rapid economic growth that has taken place in most of the world’s countries. However, even if there is electoral democracy in a nation, the government is still not fully democratic. It is necessary to extend participation by citizens beyond voting, so that the people run their own government rather than having a government run for them. This is the essence of a truly democratic process and it is why the right to extensive participation is included in human rights treaties like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and others. Some people have endorsed democracy on epistemic grounds, arguing that it is the best way to exploit the cognitive diversity of citizens in solving public problems. This is because democracy brings a wide variety of views into the decision making process, thus allowing many different perspectives to be considered. Another argument is that democracy promotes the moral character of citizens because it gives them a sense of ownership of their communities. Other people have endorsed democracy as an instrument for solving particular problems, such as poverty and war. They argue that democracies tend to be more effective at fighting poverty and waging war than non-democracies because they are more likely to be transparent and accountable, thus fostering good governance. Still other people have argued that democracy is the only practical way to ensure a minimum level of human rights protection, including freedom of speech and association, the right to assembly, the right to free media and the right to privacy and the integrity of the home. This is because democracy is the only system that can guarantee these rights to all citizens without discrimination on the basis of race, religion or any other arbitrary factor. Today, anger at political elites and economic dissatisfaction have fuelled a wave of revolt around the globe, with protesters calling for fundamental change in many established democracies. However, it is important to remember that no one person or nation is born a democracy and that democracy cannot be sustained as long as the basic ideals of freedom of expression, the rule of law and the equality of all citizens are not fully embraced and enforced.