Lecture_slides_Lecture 1B - What is Democracy

7/30/2019 Lecture_slides_Lecture 1B - What is Democracy

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Democracy, Liberal Democr

and other Regime Types


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Regime Types

n Electoral Democracyn Liberal Democracyn The Quality of Democracyn Varieties of Authoritarianism

n Competitive Authoritarian Regimesn Other (hegemonic) Electoral Authoritariann Military and one-party rulen Totalitarian regimes


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What is Electoral Democracy?

n A system of government at the level of the nationn A means for the people (with equal political rights

citizens) to choose their political leaders and, if thto replace their leaders in

regular, meaningful,

freeand fairelectionsn Sufficient freedom for elections to be

meaningful, free and fair


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1. Democracy: Majority rulen Popular sovereignty and control over governmentn Competition, participation, vertical accountability, resp

2. Liberal government: Minority rightsn Freedom, equality, civic culture

3. Republican government: Good Governancen Rule of law, horizontal accountability,

state effectiveness

Liberal (High-Quality) Democrac


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What are the elements of

Liberal (High-Quality) Democr


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1. Liberty. Extensive freedoms of:n Speechn Press (print & broadcast)n Associationn Assembly, peaceful protestn Movementn Thought and beliefn Religion & religious practicen Language, identity, cultural expression

Elements of Liberal (High-Quality) Dem


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1. Liberty. Freedom from:n Torturen Warrantless search and seizuren Corrupt demands and impositionsn Violence and coercion by state

and non-state actors

Elements of Liberal (High-Quality) Dem


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2. Rule of Law. Protects rights of citizens, maintainsand limits power of government.

n All citizens are equal under the lawn No arbitrary arrest, exile, or imprisonmentn No one is above the lawn Government power is limited; no official may

violate these legal and constitutional limits

n The courts are independent instructure and in fact


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2. Rule of Law. Protects rights of citizens, maintainsand limits power of government.

n Right to know the charges against you,presumption of innocence

n Right to a fair, speedy, and public trialby an impartial court

n No one may be taxed or prosecutedexcept by a law established in advance

n No one may be subjected to tortureor cruel and inhumane treatment


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3. Horizontal Accountability. Power is separateddispersed among multiple, independent branches andinstitutions of government (checks and balances).

n Executive power is limited, constrainedand scrutinized by an independent legislature,

judiciary, and other institutions


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3. Horizontal Accountability. Power is separateddispersed among multiple, independent branches andinstitutions of government (checks and balances).

n Independent institutions to monitorand control corruption & abuse of power

n Counter-corruption commissionn Ombudsman (public complaints commission)n Parliamentary investigative committeesn Supreme audit agency (GAO)


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4. Civilian control of the military & police

n Armed forces are directed by and subordinateto civilian elected officials and their appointees

n Elected, civilian commander in chiefn Top military command appointments

are made or approved by civilians


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n Budgetsof armed forces, intelligence and other state agencies are reviewed, understood, and approved by

executive and legislative authorities

n Professional civilian capacityindefense ministry, presidential (or PM)office, and parliamentary committees

to supervise military and security agencies


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n Armed forces and intelligence agencies may not operadomestically except under extraordinary & explicit

constitutional circumstances, with close civilian superv

n Armed forces are non-partisan, non-politicaln Police are professional, depoliticized,

and supervised and monitored bydemocratic, civilian authorities


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5. Competitiveness

n At least two political parties with significant represein parliament and a meaningful chance to win contrnational government

n Low barriers to entry of new political partiesn No gerrymandering of electoral districts

(independent commission)

n Open, fair access to the mass media for all


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5. Competitiveness

n Limited or no use of government resources to reeleruling party

n Virtually no vote buying or other electoral fraudn Balanced access to party and campaign finance

n Public funding of parties and campaigns?n Public guarantees of TV & radio air time?n Limits on campaign expenditures?

n Over time, electoral alternation(ruling parties lose)


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6. Civic Pluralism

n Numerous NGOs and interest groups represent a broarange of interests and values in society

n NGOs and think tanks monitor the political process,expose abuses, and lobby for political reform

n Alternative sources of information:public has access to many sources of information,independent of government control.

n Government ownership and regulationof the mass media is very limited


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7. Vertical Accountability. The people hold theiragents (public officials) accountable to them

Type 1: Electoral Accountabilityn Party system is sufficiently competitive,n Competition is sufficiently fair,n Voters are sufficiently informed and aware

of their interestsSo that elected officeholders can beheld accountable, and removed forbad performance


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7. Vertical Accountability. The people hold theiragents (public officials) accountable to them

Type 2: Societal Accountabilityn Civil society is sufficiently pluralistic, resourceful, an

independent of government

n Mass media are sufficiently independentand professional

n Public is sufficiently vigilant and mobilizedSo that unpopular policies & abuses ofpower can be challenged and reversed.


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8. Participation. Citizens take an active role in poand the making of public policies and decisions

n High rates of voter turnoutn Extensive public interest in and awareness of major

issues, government conduct andparty positions on issues

n High membership rates and active participationin civil society organizations (CSOs)

n Individuals and CSOs petition andlobby government


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9. Equality

n Citizens have relatively equal political resources, at in education, organization, and citizenship rights

n Women have substantial representation in the cabinparliament, and other representative bodies

nEconomic inequalities are not so severe thatthey rob large groups of political voice

and power


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9. Equality

n Ethnic minorities have representation in parliament,provincial & local legislatures, in rough proportion totheir shares of the population

n All citizens are treated equally by governmentagencies & institutions (including the judiciary)

regardless of their class, geographic region,religion, ethnicity, gender, party, or beliefs


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10. Responsiveness. Government responds tocitizen demands and preferences.

n Government changes its policies in response to cleaconsistent, and fairly deliberated expressions of

majority preference

n There is substantial correlation over timebetween government policies and

citizen preferences and desires


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10. Responsiveness. Government responds tocitizen demands and preferences.

n Aggrieved groups of citizens are able to win redresswrongs and abuses committed by governmentn Significant manifestations of citizen interest

and protest are able to have access to the

public agenda, and to be heard by legislativeand executive bodies


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11. Civic Culture

Competing parties & groups are:

n Tolerant of opposing views and groupsn Law-abiding, respectful of the constitutionn Peaceful, reject violencen Willing to compromisen Unwilling to coalition with undemocratic,

anti-system actors


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11. Civic Culture

The vast majority of citizens & groups:

n Believe in the legitimacy of democracyn Are loyal to the constitutional systemn Know their rights and obligations as citizensn Respect the outcome of electionsn Question but respect authorityn Condemn acts of intolerance and

violations of constitutional norms


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12. State Effectiveness

n The state has legitimate authority:It is widely viewed as having the right to make and enforcelaws, exercise a monopoly of force,and extract and distribute resources

nThe state has administrative capacity:A professional, meritocratic, honestand politically neutral bureaucracy is ableto regulate, tax, maintain order, andproduce public goods


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Types of AuthoritarianRegimes


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Types of Authoritarian Regimes

n Electoral Authoritariann Competitive Authoritariann Hegemonic Party Systems

n One-party authoritarian regimesn Military regimesn Personal dictatorshipsn Absolute monarchiesn Totalitarian regimes


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n Contested electionsn Elected governmentn Some opposition presence in parliamentn Some degree of political pluralism

But one or more factors contradict democracy:n Elections are not free and/or not fairn Unelected sources of supreme powern Effective domination by ruling party

Electoral Authoritarianism


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n Multiparty elections, political pluralismn Significant opposition in parliamentn Significant opposition vote for presidentn Opposition may control one or more

subnational governments (Malaysia)

n Elections not free & fair; tilted playing fieldn Still: some degree of uncertainty;

opposition may achieve victory (Serbia)through exceptional mobilization

Variant A: Competitive Authoritaria


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n Existing for some timen Malaysia, Lebanon, Tanzania, Uganda

n Descent from electoral democracynVenezuela, Nigeria, Kenya,

Georgia, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka

n Ascent from more extreme authoritariann Pakistan

Cases of Competitive Authoritarian


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n There is a faade of multiparty electionsn But the ruling party wins crushing victories

in almost all elections

n There is very little opposition representationin parliament and it has virtually no influence

n There is very little or no pluralism in the median The ruling party is not just dominant but a

hegemon that towers over, coopts, orsubverts all opposition

Variant B: Hegemonic Party Syste


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n Existing for some timen Singapore, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Cambodia

n Descent from Democracyn Russia

n Formerly one-party statesnAngola, Ethiopia

Kazakhstan, Belarus, Azerbaijan

Cases of Hegemonic Party System


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n One-party regimes. Political opposition is legallysuppressed, and competitive elections are not held.n China, Vietnam, Laos, Cuba

Communist one-party states but no longer totalitarian.

n Personal dictatorships ( hereditary)n Gaddafi in Libya, Assad in Syria, Karimov in

Uzbekistan, Nazarbayev in Kazakhstan,Bongo in Gabon, Eyadema in Togo

n Classic historical case: Mobutu in Zaire

Other Authoritarian Regimes


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n Absolute Monarchiesn Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, UAE, Brunei, Swaziland

n Monarchies with electoral elementsn Morocco, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain

n Military rulen Largely gone as a regime formn Remains de facto in Sudan

n Totalitarian Rulen North Korea

Other Authoritarian Regimes

Documents

Lecture_slides_Lecture 1B - What is Democracy