What Is Democracy?
The word democracy comes from the Greek words demos (people) and kratos (power). It describes a way of government in which people directly or indirectly control the laws, policies, and leadership of their country. People in a democracy have the right to vote and be elected as leaders. They have the freedom to express their views in public, and they can organize and join groups to help make their views known. The rights to freedom of speech and religion, equality before the law and protection of people’s privacy are protected by the legal system in a democracy. People in a democracy also have the right to take part in the political, economic and cultural life of their countries.
In addition, democratic governments must be accountable to the people for their actions and decisions. This means that there must be regular, free elections for those who govern the country. These elections must not be facades behind which dictators or one party hide, but must be genuine competitions for the support of the people. Governments in a democracy must protect the people’s rights and the environment, and they must be transparent about their activities.
In fact, recent analyses convincingly demonstrate a direct causal link between democracy and economic growth. Countries that have recently become democratic experience more rapid rates of economic development than those that have never been democratic. This is because democratic systems of governance are better at ensuring the provision of public goods, including education, health, and infrastructure, than autocracies; more effective at managing markets; and able to channel contestation into political compromise rather than political violence.
However, many young people today appear to be disillusioned with the American-style democracy in which they live and have lost faith that it can deliver good governance. In fact, a recent online Wall Street Journal article points out that the majority of Americans believe the US democracy is broken.
As a result, many young people are engaging in activism to address problems with which they feel concerned. They are joining environmental groups, for example, and other protest organizations, such as those addressing issues of war or corporate exploitation. They are also forming their own communities, which can provide an opportunity for citizens to become more familiar with and engaged in the problems of their localities.
The class should work together to reach consensus on a definition of democracy. The teacher can assign roles to help with this process: note taker, reader, summary maker, presenter. Once the groups have recorded their thinking, the whole class can conduct a discussion to discuss the big ideas that came out of the group discussions. The class can then develop a definition of democracy through consensus and keep it in a visible spot for the remainder of the lesson. The teacher should then revisit the definition in the future to ensure that it continues to reflect the beliefs of the class. It is also a good idea to ask students how they think the definition can be improved over time.
The word democracy comes from the Greek words demos (people) and kratos (power). It describes a way of government in which people directly or indirectly control the laws, policies, and leadership of their country. People in a democracy have the right to vote and be elected as leaders. They have the freedom to express their views in public, and they can organize and join groups to help make their views known. The rights to freedom of speech and religion, equality before the law and protection of people’s privacy are protected by the legal system in a democracy. People in a democracy also have the right to take part in the political, economic and cultural life of their countries. In addition, democratic governments must be accountable to the people for their actions and decisions. This means that there must be regular, free elections for those who govern the country. These elections must not be facades behind which dictators or one party hide, but must be genuine competitions for the support of the people. Governments in a democracy must protect the people’s rights and the environment, and they must be transparent about their activities. In fact, recent analyses convincingly demonstrate a direct causal link between democracy and economic growth. Countries that have recently become democratic experience more rapid rates of economic development than those that have never been democratic. This is because democratic systems of governance are better at ensuring the provision of public goods, including education, health, and infrastructure, than autocracies; more effective at managing markets; and able to channel contestation into political compromise rather than political violence. However, many young people today appear to be disillusioned with the American-style democracy in which they live and have lost faith that it can deliver good governance. In fact, a recent online Wall Street Journal article points out that the majority of Americans believe the US democracy is broken. As a result, many young people are engaging in activism to address problems with which they feel concerned. They are joining environmental groups, for example, and other protest organizations, such as those addressing issues of war or corporate exploitation. They are also forming their own communities, which can provide an opportunity for citizens to become more familiar with and engaged in the problems of their localities. The class should work together to reach consensus on a definition of democracy. The teacher can assign roles to help with this process: note taker, reader, summary maker, presenter. Once the groups have recorded their thinking, the whole class can conduct a discussion to discuss the big ideas that came out of the group discussions. The class can then develop a definition of democracy through consensus and keep it in a visible spot for the remainder of the lesson. The teacher should then revisit the definition in the future to ensure that it continues to reflect the beliefs of the class. It is also a good idea to ask students how they think the definition can be improved over time.