What Is Democracy?
Generally speaking, democracy is the process by which we elect representatives to lead our government. However, in some cases, people are not represented at all, and this is where the problem lies. In such a situation, the minority group may be too small to have a meaningful voice in the political process. In other instances, a small number of representatives may represent a minority interest, but their representation may be insufficient to overturn the majority representative.
In these cases, a democratic country needs a functional democracy with a complete set of institutional procedures and full participation of the people. A functional democracy must ensure that both the process and the outcome of decision making are democratic. Such a democracy must include both substantive and procedural democracy, and the will of the people and the state must be the same. However, there are also cases in which a country may not qualify as a democracy because of its underlying system of government.
The concept of democracy implies the recognition of different components of a society, and is thus compatible with the ideas of different societies. It is also different from the revolutionary or popular view of democracy, which often suggests the eradication of minorities or other categories considered obstructive to progress. In other words, a democracy can’t exist unless freedom of choice is guaranteed to all. That’s a critical distinction for anyone who has studied democracy and how it works.
In addition to these two main types of democracy, many other forms of government are based on the principles of democracy. For example, in Australia, voting is mandatory in some elections, but not everywhere. While it’s true that everyone living in a democracy has the right to vote, not everyone actually exercises their right. The US presidential election, for example, saw only 55% of its eligible voters cast their ballots. Furthermore, there are democratic countries that prohibit voting, such as the United States.
The word “democracy” has its origins in the Greek language, where the word ‘demos’ means “people” and ‘kratos” refers to power. This suggests that the idea of democracy is based on the suspicion that concentrated power is harmful for the wellbeing of all citizens. Therefore, it is important to maintain that democratic government can be established in any unit, including a business corporation, a university, or an international organization.
Democracies were invented thousands of years ago, but not all democracies are the same. There are several types of democracy: parliamentary democracy, socialist democracy, constitutional democracy, industrial democracy, green democracy, and demarchy. A scholar in the field has identified over 2000 different types of democracy, and any given democracy can fit into many different subtypes. So, when looking at the evolution of democracy, consider that it’s been around since the fifth century.
In the US, the media monopolies have become a hidden killer of political and civil rights. According to Robert McChesney, professor of political economy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, media monopolies confine people to entertainment and information programs, depriving them of the skills and knowledge needed to distinguish right from wrong. The media narratives dominate our society, causing traditional notions of civic involvement to shatter.
Generally speaking, democracy is the process by which we elect representatives to lead our government. However, in some cases, people are not represented at all, and this is where the problem lies. In such a situation, the minority group may be too small to have a meaningful voice in the political process. In other instances, a small number of representatives may represent a minority interest, but their representation may be insufficient to overturn the majority representative. In these cases, a democratic country needs a functional democracy with a complete set of institutional procedures and full participation of the people. A functional democracy must ensure that both the process and the outcome of decision making are democratic. Such a democracy must include both substantive and procedural democracy, and the will of the people and the state must be the same. However, there are also cases in which a country may not qualify as a democracy because of its underlying system of government. The concept of democracy implies the recognition of different components of a society, and is thus compatible with the ideas of different societies. It is also different from the revolutionary or popular view of democracy, which often suggests the eradication of minorities or other categories considered obstructive to progress. In other words, a democracy can’t exist unless freedom of choice is guaranteed to all. That’s a critical distinction for anyone who has studied democracy and how it works. In addition to these two main types of democracy, many other forms of government are based on the principles of democracy. For example, in Australia, voting is mandatory in some elections, but not everywhere. While it’s true that everyone living in a democracy has the right to vote, not everyone actually exercises their right. The US presidential election, for example, saw only 55% of its eligible voters cast their ballots. Furthermore, there are democratic countries that prohibit voting, such as the United States. The word “democracy” has its origins in the Greek language, where the word ‘demos’ means “people” and ‘kratos” refers to power. This suggests that the idea of democracy is based on the suspicion that concentrated power is harmful for the wellbeing of all citizens. Therefore, it is important to maintain that democratic government can be established in any unit, including a business corporation, a university, or an international organization. Democracies were invented thousands of years ago, but not all democracies are the same. There are several types of democracy: parliamentary democracy, socialist democracy, constitutional democracy, industrial democracy, green democracy, and demarchy. A scholar in the field has identified over 2000 different types of democracy, and any given democracy can fit into many different subtypes. So, when looking at the evolution of democracy, consider that it’s been around since the fifth century. In the US, the media monopolies have become a hidden killer of political and civil rights. According to Robert McChesney, professor of political economy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, media monopolies confine people to entertainment and information programs, depriving them of the skills and knowledge needed to distinguish right from wrong. The media narratives dominate our society, causing traditional notions of civic involvement to shatter.