Wealth & Democracy

7/29/2019 Wealth & Democracy

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Democracy

Democracy "is government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people

and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system."The

world celebrates the democracy on 15th

of September as the date of democracy.

History

The beginning of wisdom in such disputes is to see that democracy, like all other human

inventions, has a history. The first historical phase of democracy, which began in ancient

Mesopotamia (in 2500 BC) & stretched through classical Greece and Rome to the rise and

maturation of Islamic civilization around 950 CE, democracy was associated with the creation

and diffusion of public assemblies. It is so difficult that who invented the term or exactly

where and when the word democracy was used first. But in Greek word demos means

people and kratein means rule.

The Middle Ages was a period of European history from the fall of the Roman Empire (476

AD) until the fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD. It is also known as the Dark Ages.Although

there was not a democracy directly in place during the Middle Ages, Christianity was widely

followed and so many democratic ideas were understood and followed by many of the people.

Christianity taught that all men were created equal.Another form of government, known

as feudalism developed during this time. Feudalism stressed that all people had certain rights

and developed a system of courts to defend these rights.

Demos Kratein

(People) (Rule)

DEMOCRACY

Therefor it can be imagine the democracy has been born in Greece. However it is, in eastern

countries in the world such as India, they exists a huge history of democracy.


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Definitions

Definition ofAbraham Lincon:

DEMOCRACY IS A GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE,

BY THE PEOPLE, AND FOR THE PEOPLE."

Definition ofKofi Annan (The Secretary of United Nation)

In our world, there are two kinds of democracy. One is Direct democracy. This is applicablein small states such as Switzerland, Norway, etc. Direct democracy refers to a situation in

which citizens participate somewhat equally in the decision-making process. When the

population becomes lager, the next best way is Representative democracy (Indirect

democracy). Indirect democracy refers to a situation in which a subset of elected

representatives makes most of the political decisions.

DEMOCRACY IS A UNIVERSAL RIGHT THAT

DOES NOT BELONG TO ANY COUNTRY OR

REGION AND THAT PARTICIPATORY

GOVERNANCE, BASED ON THE WILL OF THE

PEOPLE IS THE BEST PATH TO FREEDOM

DEMOCRACY

REPRECENTATIVE

DEMOCRACYDIRECTDEMOCRACY


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Direct democracy (also known as pure democracy) is a form of democracy in which people

decide (e.g. vote on, form consensus on, etc.) policy initiatives directly, as opposed to

a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then decide policy

initiatives. Depending on the particular system in use, it might entail passing executive

decisions, the use of sortation, making laws, directly electing or dismissing officials and

conducting trials. Two leading forms of direct democracy are participatory

democracy and deliberative democracy.

Features of Direct democracy

mall

Applicable only small states

Modern legislation is becoming more complicated to be comprehended by average voters, it is

just possible that they may participate in referendum without understanding the issuesinvolved.

People may not vote for a measure conductive to the national interest.

Distribution of the copies of bills to the people & waiting for their approval in both expensive

& dilatory.

Direct legislation reduces the authority & status of the legislature & undermines its

responsibility to the people

Method of discovering the wishes of the people , an excellent barometer of the political

atmosphere

The legislator to conform with the aspiration of the people, if someone does not wish the fruit

of his labour to perish

Puts an end to acute conflicts between people & governments &, provides one of the safestbarrier there can be against revolutionary agitations

Advantages and disadvantages to Direct Democracy:

Advantages

Raises issues that others may want to hide

Restores authority to the people, and makes them responsible, not the parties.

Curbs the imbalance of power, makes politicians responsible to the people Gets the community involved

Makes for better legislation

Politicians are forced to act on petitions instead of throwing them out right away.

Helps to gain control over Parliament and the direction of the country.

Restores parliamentary government with representatives

Makes politicians be accountable


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Disadvantages

Cost

The media and government may attempt to influence the decisions made by the people.

Increase in referenda

Some people may be more politically active than others

Direct democracy gives the steering wheel for government to the people. As we noticed above

there are both many advantages and disadvantages to direct democracy. This form of

government is already in effect in Switzerland and some states in the United States.

Representative democracy (also indirect democracy) is a variety of democracy founded

on the principle of elected officials representing a group of people, as opposed to direct

democracy. All modern Western style democracies are various types of representative

democracies, for example the United Kingdoms a constitutional monarchy and Poland isa parliamentary republic.

Features of Representative Democracy (INDIRECT DEMOCRACY)

Every adult should have the right to vote- the universal adult suffrage

Govern by the Majority

One man One vote

Each vote should count equally

The principle of proportional representation should be adhered

The power of representatives is usually curtailed by a constitution (as in a constitutional

democracy or a constitutional monarchy) or other measures to balance representative power:

An independent judiciary, which may have the power to declare legislative acts

unconstitutional (e.g. constitutional court, supreme court)

It may also provide for some deliberative democracy (e.g., Royal Commissions) or direct

popular measures (e.g., initiative, referendum,recall elections). However, these are not

always binding and usually require some legislative action-legal power usually remains

firmly with representatives. In some cases, a bicameral legislature may have an "upper house" that is not directly

elected, such as the Canadian Senate, which was in turn modeled on the British House of

Lords.


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The Record of Democratic Development of History

The historical development of modern democratic regimes falls in to four phases.

1) Early 19th

century

2) Year around-1920

3) Aftermath of World War 11

4) Early 1950 to the 1980

Democratization (ordemocratization) is the transition to a more democratic political regime.

It may be the transition from an authoritarian regime to a full democracy, a transition from an

authoritarian political system to a semi-democracy or transition from a semi-authoritarian

political system to a democratic political system. The outcome may be consolidated (as it was

for example in the United Kingdom) or democratization may face frequent reversals (as it has

faced for example in Argentina). Different patterns of democratization are often used to

explain other political phenomena, such as whether a country goes to a war or whether its

economy grows. Democratization itself is influenced by various factors, including economic

development, history, and civil society

Transition to Democracy

Dankwart Alexander Rustow (December 21, 1924 August 3, 1996) was a professor of

political science and sociology. He is perhaps best known as the 'father of transit logy,' a

school of thought in the field of democratization studies. In his seminal 1970 article

'Transitions to Democracy: Toward a Dynamic Model,' Rustow broke from the prevailing

schools of thought on how countries became democratic. Disagreeing with the heavy focus on

necessary social and economic pre-conditions for democracy, he argued that only national

unity was a necessary precondition for democracy. Beyond that, the most important thing for a

transition from authoritarian rule to democracy was consensus between elites on the new rules

of the game.

Lipset's title is true to his functional concern. He is careful to speak of "Some Social

Requisites," not prerequisites, "of Democ-racy," and thus to acknowledge the difference

between correlation and cause. But the subtlety has escaped many readers who unthinkingly

translate "requisites" into "preconditions. Moreover, encourages the same substitution, for it

repeatedly slips from the language of correlation into the language of causality. Significantly,

on all those occasions economic and social conditions become the independent, and

democracy the dependent, variable.


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Wealth and democracy

Theories of wealth and democracy

The proposition that wealthy societies are usually also more democratic has a long Lineage.

Political philosophers have suggested this proposition, for example John Stuart Mill..

Reflecting upon the British colonies, theorized that democracy was not suitable for all nation

states. Exactly a century later, the political sociologist Seymour Martin Lipset laid the

groundwork for the systematic empirical analysis of the complex relationship between wealth

and democracy. The original claim, subsequently referred to as the Lipset hypothesis,

specified that:The more well-to-do a nation, the greater the chances that it will sustain

democracy.Development consolidates democracy, Lipset theorized, by expanding levels of

literacy, schooling and media access, broadening the middle classes, reducing the extremes of

poverty, facilitating intermediary organizations such as labor unions and voluntary

organizations, and promoting the values of legitimacy and social tolerance. The shift fromagrarian to industrial capitalist production was thought to weaken the power of the traditional

landed estates. Newly-unionized urban workers and the middle class professional groups each

mobilized around parties reflecting their interests and demanded access to the voting

franchise. Lipset emphasized that extreme social inequality maintained oligarchy or tyranny,

but more egalitarian conditions, and in particular the expansion of the educated middle class,

facilitated moderation and mass participation: Only in a wealthy society in which relatively

few citizens lived in real poverty could a situation exist in which the mass of the population

could intelligently participate in politics and could develop the self restraint necessary to

avoid succumbing to the appeals of irresponsible demagogues.

Dankwart Rustow reinforced the argument that the transition to democracy could be

attributed to a predictable series of social changes accompanying economic development and

societal modernization, as predicted by measures such as per capita energy consumption,

literacy, school enrollments, urbanization, life expectancy, infant mortality, the size of the

industrial workforce, newspaper circulation, and radio and television ownership.

Following in the footsteps of Lipset and Rustow, the relationship between wealth and

democracy has been subject to rigorous empirical inquiry. For more than half a century the

association has withstood repeated empirical tests under a variety of different conditions,

using cross-sectional and time-series data with a large sample of countries and years, and with

increasingly sophisticated statistical tests, as well as in many historical accounts of political

developments within particular nation states. Many have reported that wealth is associated

with the standard indicators of democratization, although the precise estimates of effects are

sensitive to each studys choice of time-period, the selection of control variables specified in

causal models, and the basic measurement of both democracy and economic growth.


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The claim that wealth sustains democracy has important implications for public policy and for

attempts to promote both poverty alleviation and democracy by the international development

community. Yet two alternative interpretations dominate the policy debate and it remains

unclear which one is correct.

The case of South Korea plausibly fits the Lipset theory but, as Singapore shows, many

important outliers remain. The key question which remains is whether, even with this battery

of controls, political institutions also play an important role in sustaining democracy.

Pillars of Democracy

In 2004, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that lays out seven essential

elements of democracy, including:

1) Separation and balance of power

2) Independence of the judiciary

3) A pluralistic system of political parties and organizations

4) Respect for the rule of law

5) Accountability and transparency

6) Free, independent and pluralistic media

7) Respect for human and political rights; e.g., freedoms of association and expression;

the right to vote and to stand in elections

01.THE SEPARATION AND BALANCE OF POWERThe terms separation of power and balance of power mean that the power of the three

branches of democratic government - the legislative, executive and judiciary should not be

concentrated in one branch, but should be distributed such that each branch can independently

carry out its own respective functions. The separation and balance of power rests on two main

principles. First, the competencies of the three branches of governmental power must be

clearly delimited and defined. Second, all branches of government are bound by the rule of

law he idea of a separation and balance of powers emerged in an historical context as a

protection against tyranny

02.INDEPENDENCE OF THE JUDICIARYArticle 14 of the ICCPR states that in the determinations of any criminal charges against him

[or her], or of his rights and obligations in a suit of law, everybody shall be entitled to a fair

and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial court established by law. There

is, then, a hard international obligation to establish an independent judiciary. Moreover, the

UN Human Rights Committee has made it clear that the ICCPR stipulates judicial


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independence beyond the realm of criminal law such that it also comes to bear on

administrative law and the organization of the state.

03.THE RULE OF LAWThere are few definitions of the rule of law in the context of international instruments related

to ensuring democratic practices within statesNonetheless, its core meaning is clear.

04.ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCYAs stated in both the 2005 UN General Assembly resolution and the 2003 declaration by the

UN Human Rights Commission, transparency and accountability in public administration are

essential to democracy. Without exception, this applies to all those with governmental and

public authority (whether elected or not) and to all bodies of government and public authority.

Elaborating this, the Inter-Parliamentary Unions Universal Declaration on Democracyexplains, Accountability [and transparency] entails a public right of access to information

about the activities of government, the right to petition government and to seek redress

through impartial administrative and judicial mechanisms.

05.FREEDOM OF THE MEDIAMedia freedom is vitally important for democracy. It contributes to creating plural, open

societies and accountable, transparent systems of government, as well as safeguards human

rights and fundamental freedoms. In particular, a free media sector plays an essential role inguaranteeing the freedom of expression and freedom of information, both of which are

necessary for facilitating the effective participation of citizens in democratic processes.

06.RESPECT FOR POLITICAL RIGHTSThe freedom of political debate, along with freedom of association and assembly, are at the

centre of the concept of democracy. These essential political rights are well defined in legally

binding treaties, such as the ICCPR.


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Democratic Socialism

Its difficult to define also it is variant of socialism that reject centralized.Authoritation

methods of transition from capitalism of socialism in favor of grass roots. level moments

aiming for the immediate creation of decentralized economic democracy.

In Russia Mihhail Grobuchew said perestroika as building a new human and democratic

socialism.

History of Democratic Socialism

Prominent movement at the end of 19th centaury in German 1857 German social Democratic

party another Australian Labor party moved forward.

Democratic Liberalisms

It aims to reach a synthesis of democracy which is the participation of the people in the power

and the rational liberalisms, which decline the emotional populism.

Describe their ideology as giving power to the people they are against the concentration of

power in uncountable Bodies.

Other political theories compare with democracy

Facism

Maxsism Capitalism

Fascism :

Society there is no speech to voices of freedom & criticisms therefore from democracy

Maxisism:

In ultimate We hope equal society in ultimate how we expect democracy but it begin &

develop. Its visible limitations.

Capitalism:

We also see democracy but capital society in all over we see rights and democracy gain

minority hands.


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Most Democratic Countries

The Democracy has come a long way since that ancient times and now most countries are

democratic. Now the most important features of democracy include civil liberties, politic

rights, freedom of press and the low level of corruption. These features differentiate the states

by the level of democracy implemented. Then I will turn next slid Economic Intelligent unit

Annual Report on Global Democracy.

This Index Analyses,

165 Independent Countries

2 Territories

Criteria of Index

Electoral process and pluralism

Civil Liberties

Functioning of Government Political Participation

Political Culture

Gradient Level of Regimes

Full Democracies

Flawed Democracies

Hybrid Regimes

Authoritarian Regimes

According to the Index most democratic Countries found in Scandinavia,

This includes Norway, Swede, Iceland, Denmark and New Zealand.

Norway was the first independent country ever to allow women to vote and candidate.

Sweden Although Sweden has a unitary parliamentary democracy and a constitutional

monarchy, now a days is considered one of the most democratic European countries.

Denmark Its another unitary parliamentary democracy with constitutional monarchy but

has a long history of democracy starting with the 1915 universal suffrage.

Switzerland Since 1848 Switzerland is governed by representative direct democracy, the

citizens having the power to overturn the parliaments decisions.


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Other Democratic countries

United State of America

The American Political system works as the federal constitutional republic system where the

president the congress and the Judiciary System share the powers of the national government

and where there is dominance of only two major parties. Amarican democracy is

representative in sprit and hence a kind of republic representing and public of the common

man.

United Kingdom

We should first look at the British system as it is the longest established. At a basic level it is

understood that Prime Minister and government ultimately run the country. Members of

Parliament are elected by the general public,usually once every four years based on the

policies of the three or four main political parties.Issues of particular interest could be

employment,the state of the economy,health and defence.It is called democracy whereby the

people get to vote on who they want to take the country farward.The Nuts and bolt of the

British government are far more complicated and I will mention few of them

The Constitution ,The Prime Minister,The Cabinet,The sovereign,The speaker,The House of

Commons,Parliament,Civil servents,House of Lords like that

The houses of Parliament have long been known as the mother of parliaments and historically

from the basis for democratic government across the world.

Middle East

The highest scores of countries in democracy are generally held by Isrel, Kuwet Turkey,

Morocco and Lebanon.

Countries as partly democratic are Egypt, Tunisia and Iraq

The Lowest scores held by Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The most significant changed in the

Middle East from 2011 to 2012

Latin America

Latin America was identified as one of the success stories from the wave of democratic

development that accompanied the waning years of the Cold war. Over the past decade,

however the commitment of governments in the region to democratic standards has wavered

in some cases considerably.


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Regions largest and most economically powerful country Brazil has experienced a

strengthening of free institutions even It has impressive Economic growth.

Chile and Uruguay continue to rank among the worlds leading Democracies.and Colombia

has registered gains for civil liberties as its violent wind down.

China and Russia

Russia and china are essentially two non-democracies

1989-1991 both communist leaderships Soviet and Chinese came to realize the Communism

had become a dysfunctional type of system. But they had different understandings of what was

wrong with it.In soviet Union ,Gorbachev decided that what was worth preserving were the

socialist ideas.His idea of social transformation meant moving beyond the party rule and

developing a state which could be competitive in the western paradigm.The Chinese

communist party took a totally different view.What was bad about communism were the

communist socialist ideas, especially in an economic sense, and what was good about

socialism was the communist party and its capacity to keep control of society. So they did

everything to keep the power infrastructure intact.

Accoding to Russia look like a democracy. It enjoys a democratic constitution runs election

has a multiparty political system.has some free media .

The Chinese regime is generally accepted by more effective than the Russian one and the

quality of its decision making is certainly much better.Chinese regimes are much more

capable for self-correction.

Over the last two decades china was busy with capacity building Russia seems to have beenpre-occupied with incapacity hiding.

Asia

The Democracy has shallow roots in Asia, the most dynamic part of the world economy, is

clearly evident from the Economist Intelligence Units Democracy Index 2011.Only Two

Asian countries are estimated to be full democracies :Japan and South Korea.

Although parts of the region from Myanmar and North Korea to Laos, Vietnam and China

are still entrenched authoritarian regimes, the past couple of decades have seen the spread of

democracy in the region overall.

Over the past decade, 20 Asian Countries have held elections, and many have undergone

peaceful transitions in government. Despite its problem, India remains the worlds most

populous Democracy. Yet even the democratic countries , there are often significant problems

in the political systems. Because Political culture in Asia are often underdevelopment and

shallow, Such as in the cases of the following democracies Taiwan, India, Thailand,

Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, Hongkong and Singapore are classed as having


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hybrid regimes. Other hybrids from Asia are Bangladesh, Cambodia, Bhutan, Pakistan and

Nepal

Although Asians say they support democratic ideals, their commitment to limits on a leaders

power is Far lower than in most other regions.

Sri Lanka

According to the Article 1 of Sri Lankan Constitution country is known as Democratic

Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

Article 1 states that Sri Lanka (Ceylon) is a Free, Sovereign, Independent and Democratic

Socialist Republic.

There are several Articles in the constitution which are directly related to the concepts of

Democracy

Article 3- In the Republic of Sri Lanka sovereignty is in the People and is inalienable.

Sovereignty includes the powers of government, fundamental rights and the franchise.

Article 4- The Sovereignty of the People shall be exercised and enjoyed in the following

manner :

(a) the legislative power of the People shall be exercised by Parliament, consisting of elected

representatives of the People and by the People at a Referendum ;

(b) the executive power of the People, including the defence of Sri Lanka, shall be exercised

by the President of the Republic elected by the People ;

(c) the judicial power of the People shall be exercised by Parliament through courts,

tribunals and institutions created and established, or recognized, by the Constitution, or

created and established by law, except in regard to matters relating to the privileges,

immunities and powers of Parliament and of its Members, wherein the judicial power of the

People may be exercised directly by Parliament according to law ;

(d) the fundamental rights which are by the Constitution declared and recognized shall be

respected, secured and advanced by all the organs of government and shall not be abridged,

restricted or denied, save in the manner and to the extent hereinafter provided; and

(e) the franchise shall be exercisable at the election of the President of the Republic and ofthe Members of Parliament and at every Referendum by every citizen who has attained the

age of eighteen years and who, being qualified to be an elector as hereinafter provided, has his

name entered in the register of electors.


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Human Rights are one of the basic elements in democracy

Articles 10- 14 includes the Fundamental Rights of the people

Article 10- Freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

Article 11- Freedom from torture.

Article 12- Right to equality

Article 13- Freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention and punishment and prohibition of

retrospective penal legislation.

Article 14- Freedom of speech, assembly, association, occupation, movement

Constitution A articles which deals with the Referendum or the use of Direct

Democracy

Article 83- Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the provisions of Article 82

(a) a Bill for the amendment or for the repeal and replacement of or which is inconsistent with

any of the provisions of Articles 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 or of this Article ; and

(b) a Bill for the amendment or for the repeal and replacement of or which is inconsistent withthe provisions of paragraph (2) of Article 30 or of, paragraph (2) of Article 62 which would

extend the term of office of the President, or the duration of Parliament, as the case may be, to

over six years, shall become law if the number of votes cast in favour thereof amounts to not

less than two-thirds of the whole number of Members (including those not present), is

approved by the People at a Referendum and a certificate is endorsed thereon by the

President in accordance with Article 80.

Article 85- Submission of Bills to People by Referendum.

Article 86- Submission of matters of national importance to People by Referendum.

Article 87- Parliament to provide for procedure.

But like most of the countries in the world Sri Lanka also face so many difficulties and

problems in making Democracy a practice. But when comparing to the other South Asian and

Developing countries Sri Lanka possesses a better level in Democracy.


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Challenges in achieving and maintaining Democracy

Democracy a challenge WHY?

Despite some notable success stories, democracy has proven more difficult to achieve than

many assumed.

Democracy does not come by itself and it cannot be imported from abroad, let alone be

implanted by military means. It has to grow from within countries by gradually

institutionalizing and constructing political processes and spreading the universal values

that are intrinsic to democracy.

No nation is born a democracy( quote by Kofi Annan).

So it requires effort and time to build while it requires permanent maintenance as well. To

manage the process of democracy building and the expectations of people, governments need

to ensure a social contract with their people that provides those governments the legitimacy

to govern.

Values such as respect for diversity and pluralism, tolerance, justice, freedom, human rights,

and non-violence are universal core values that are embedded in the rich cultural diversity

around the globe. Transforming these values into the practice of democratic governance takes

time, which is in short supply because of peoples high expectations for democratic

government to deliver.

What are the challenges?

The process of learning to practice democracy meets challenges of various kinds.

1. Growing economic and social inequalities among the people: Although all the citizens have the right to vote and fight elections only rich people

have a chance to win the election.

The poor are sometimes even forced to sell their votes to fulfill their basic necessities

of life like food, clothing and shelter. So rich people are elected representatives in the

legislature who make laws and frame policies which favour them.


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2. Corruption and inefficiency: In many democratic countries of the world, political leaders and government officials

are corrupt, dishonest and inefficient. As a result, people do not take interest in

elections and have no faith in government officials. This affects the working ofdemocracy in the country very badly.

3. Fact that democratization takes place in often still authoritarianenvironments that resist change, in countries with weak states that

provide insufficient security to their citizens, in countries with

incomplete processes of nation-building, and in countries with poorly

developed or skewed economies.

4. Inadequate and inappropriate international approaches insupporting democratic development.

The delivery of international support is not always compatible with the intrinsic values

of democracy itself.

- Whether the ultimate outcome of the process through which international

support is delivered is democracy?

- Whether the instruments used and procedures followed in this process is

democratic?

When they are not, democracy support is likely to become problematic

Confusing democracy promotion

-with regime change

-with the use of military force to remove a regime

-with foreign intrusion in violation of the sovereignty of the countries

Are counter-productive and often inconsistent with the values of democracy

e:g- Western interventions in Libya, Iraqi, Afghanistan

It also is often accompanied by double standards since only unfriendly regimes are

targeted while friendly tyrants are treated much more leniently. This givesdemocracy and democracy support a bad name.

Actually in todays world Democracy and its core values such as Human Rights has

become a weapon in controlling unfriendly regimes according to the aims and goals of

powerful countries such as America


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5. Responding to the backlash against democracy and democracypromotion

Some countries seek to frustrate, undermine, or prohibit the activities of democratic

and civil society groups and individual activists.

Number of semi-authoritarian or hybrid regimes have stepped up measures to

prevent democratic activities such as curtailing fundamental freedoms, openly

disregarding the rule of law, suppressing civil society organizations, and stifling

independence of the media.

By imposing tight control over civil society under the pretexts of ensuring security,

political stability and non-interference in the countrys internal affairs these

governments place unlawful restrictions on NGO activities.

6. Making democracy deliver For many emerging democracies in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and elsewhere,

the biggest challenge is to

-institutionalize the newly chosen multiparty democracy systems

-help democracy deliver in terms of

Reducing poverty and improving the quality of life,

Improving security and economic development,

Enhancing the conditions for foreign investments

7. Strengthening moderate Democratic elementsThe moderate democratic elements such as

Distributing the resources equitably

Hearing Moderate democratic voices

Supporting to democratic movements, including religious groups that can challenge

extremists who misuse whatever religion to promote anti-democratic political agendas

Must be strengthened.


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8. The changing international contextThe global environment for the advancement of democracy has become more complex

in the present situation.

Responding to religious and other forms of extremism

The competition for scarce energy resources

The globalizing market economy,

The forces of technology and capitalism

Pose threats to the advancement of democracy in the present context

9. Role of anti-social elements: The role of anti-social elements has increased very much during the elections.

Voters are coerced to vote for a particular candidate or party.

Rigging also takes place during the elections.

10.Casteism and communalism: Casteism big challenges in many democratic countries like India as large number of

voters give weight to the caste and religion of the candidate during elections.

Political parties also keep in mind the caste or religion of a person while distributing

tickets for the election.

Representatives elected on the basis of caste or religion work for the welfare of the

people belonging only to their caste or religion.

11.Terrorism One of the major challenges that Democracy faces in todays world

Terrorism challenges the fundamental aspects of democracy like liberty and equality

It creates a great danger to the human rights as they use of violence in order to achieve

political aims


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Legitimacy of the democratic states and violations of this legitimacy in relation to

preventing terrorism will be highlighted.

So It is important for a democratic government to stay within the boundary of laws

when it is implementing its policies concerning the prevention and combating of

terrorism.

Promotion of democracy throughout the world has always been touted as a core

American value, but following the terrorist attacks on 9/11, USA elevated democracy

promotion from its traditional status and their national security became main goal of

their foreign policy for in the post-9/11 world.

This policy change affected the world democracy at large.

Remedies for the Removal of Drawbacks of Democracy:

1. Efforts should be made to reduce the social and economic inequalities among the

citizens.

2. People should be educated. So that

-people can realize the importance of the right to vote and other political rights.

-They would be politically awakened to elect the right of representatives who are

honest, selfless and efficient.

3. Democratic values should be cultivated in the families and the society at large. So that

-Democratic culture would be developed among the people.

-Every citizen would respect the rights and freedom of others.

4. Use of caste and religion during the elections should be banned.

5. People should be convinced that

-The Revolution and Democracy are not the same thing not necessarily related, as

mostly revolutions create instability, anarchy and violence which are against to the

values of democracy.

-The violence is revolutions friend but it is democracys enemy.

- The Democracy takes time and its establishment calls for infinite patience and it

often demands the work of generations to succeed


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Advantages and Disadvantages of Democracy

AdvantagesDemocracy is considered to be the best form of government these days. Most of the countries

in the world have adopted it.

(i) Safeguards the interests of the people: Representatives are elected by the people and they are responsible to the people

(ii)Based on the principle of equality:

All members of the State are equal in the eyes of law.

All enjoy equal social, political and economic rights and state cannot discriminate

among citizens on the basis of caste, religion, sex, or property.

All have equal right to choose their government.

(ii)Stability and responsibility in administration: Forms a stable government because it is based on public support.

The administration is conducted with a sense of responsibility

(iv)Political education to the people:

Democracy serves as a training school for citizens.

People get impetus to take part in the affairs of the state.

It creates political consciousness among the people

(v)Little chance of revolution:

Since democracy is based on public will, there is no chance of public revolt.

(vi)Stable government:

Democracy is based on public will. It conducts state business with public support. It is,

therefore, more stable than other forms of Government.


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(vii)Helps in making people good citizens:

Success of democracy lies on its good citizens. Democracy creates proper environment

for the development of personality and cultivating good habits.

(viii)Based on public opinion:

Democratic administration is based on public will, public opinion lends it strength. It is

not based on fear of authority.

Disadvantages

Following arguments have been given against Democracy:

(i) More emphasis on quantity than on quality:

Majority party holds the control of government.

(ii) Rule of the incompetent:

In the democratic system every citizen is allowed to take part, whereas everybody is

not fit for it. Locke calls it the act of running administration by the ignorant

(iii)Based on unnatural equality:

The concept of equality is enshrined in democracy. It is against the law of nature.

Nature has not endowed every individual with intelligence and wisdom. Men's talentsdiffer. Critics are of opinion that "it is against the law of nature to grant equal status to

everybody

(iv)Voters do not take interest in election:

Voters do not cast their vote in a spirit of duty as democracy requires them to do.

Contestants of election persuade them.

(v)Lowers the moral standard:

The only aim of the candidates becomes to win election.

-They often employ under-hand practices

-Foul means to get elected

-Character assassination is openly practiced,

-Unethical ways are generally adopted.


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-Muscle power and money power work hand-in-hand to ensure success to him.

Thus, morality is the first casualty in election. It is a big loss for 'when character is lost,

everything is lost' becomes explicit in due course.

(vi) Democracy is a government of the rich:

Modern democracy is, in fact, capitalistic. It is rule of the capitalists. The result is that

we get plutocracy under the garb of democracy-democracy in name and form,

plutocracy in reality.

The rich candidates purchase votes.

The rich hold the media and use it for their own benefit

Influence of moneyed people over politics is probably clear in England, America and

India.

(vii) Misuse of public funds and time:

Democracy is a huge waste of time and resources.

It takes much time in the formulation of laws.

A lot of money is spent during the elections.

Ministers are proving white elephants. They are a heavy burden on public as they

waste public money on their tours and recreations.

(viii) No stable government:

When no party gets absolute majority, coalition governments are formed. The coalition

of political parties with a view of sharing power is only a marriage of convenience.

Whenever there occurs clash of interests, the coalition is lost and governments crumble

down.

(ix) Dictatorship of majority:

Democracy is criticised because it establishes dictatorship of majority. The majority is

required to safeguard the interests of minority but in actual practice it does not.

(x) Bad influence of political parties:

Political parties are the basis of democracy. A political party aims at capturing power.

Its members are to safeguard the interests of the party. Sometimes, they overlook the

overall interest of the state for the sake of their party.


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They try to win election by hook or by crook. Practising the immoral methods, empty

ideals, inciting hatred, spreading caste feelings, communalism has become a common

practice. It lowers the national character.

Criticisms on democracy

Economic criticism

Irrational voters

- voters are irrational as they are not adequately educated to be able to foresee

the betterment of the community they belong to, and therefore are unable to

cast a vote to that effect

Inefficiency of the system

-It has been argued democracy is efficient based on the premise of rational

voters, competitive elections, and relatively low political transactions costs.

Wealth disparity

-The will of the democratic majority may not always be in the best interest of

all citizens within the country or beneficial to the future of the country itself.

Sociological criticisms

Lack of political education

Some have argued that voters may not be educated enough to exercise their

democratic right.

Influence of non-specialized society

- As ordinary citizens are encouraged to take part in the political life the result

is that government policies may be more influenced by non-specialist opinions.


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Political criticisms

Uncontested good

-If we base our critique on the definition of democracy as governance based on

the will of the majority, there can be some foreseeable consequences to thisform of rule.

Cyclical theory of government

-Machiavelli put forth a cyclical theory of government where monarchies

always decay into aristocracies, that then decay into democracies, which decay

into anarchy, then tyranny, then monarchy

Political instability

- Democracy is criticized for not offering enough political stability.

-As governments are frequently elected on and off there tend to be frequent

changes in the policies of democratic countries both domestically and

internationally.

Oppression by the majority

-The majority of a population and its elected legislature can often be the source

of minority persecutions, such as with racial discrimination

Philosophical criticisms

Mob rule

-Plato's the Republic presents a critical view of democracy through the

narration of Socrates: "Democracy, which is a charming form of government,

full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and

unequaled alike.

Violation of Property Rights

-Some Right-Libertarians criticize democracy because they claim it is

impractical or immoral.

-democracy is critizised for being immoral on the grounds that it coercively

involves people,

i.e. it violates voluntarism and property rights.


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Timocracy and oligarchy.

-In Democracy, the oligarchs or merchants are unable to use their power

effectively and the people take over, electing someone who plays on their

wishes, by throwing lavish festivals etc.

- However, the government grants the people too much freedom, and the state

degenerates into the fourth form, Tyranny/mob rule

Role of republicanism

-this criticism is addressed by combining democracy with republicanism.

A constitution would limit the powers of what a simple majority can

accomplish.

Moral decay

-Some thinkers believe democracy will result in the people's distrust and

disrespect of governments or religious sanctity.

Administrative criticisms

Short-termism

-Democracy is also criticized for frequent elections due to the instability of

coalition governments.

Corruption within democratic governments

Unsustainability

-The new establishment of democratic institutions in countries where the

associated practices have as yet been uncommon or deemed culturally

unacceptable, can result in institutions that are not sustainable in the long term.


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A New trend in Democracy

E-democracy, Government for the Information Age

The creation of the Internet allowed for people across the world to interact with one

another and exchange ideas

As Hilary Clinton put it , The freedom to connect the idea that governments should

not prevent people from connecting to the internet, to websites, or to each other. The

freedom to connect is like the freedom of assembly, only in cyberspace.

E-democracy is concerned with the use of information and communication

technologies to engage citizens, support the Democratic decision- making processes

and strengthen representative democracy

Recent Developments towards the Democracy in the world

Nepal

The performance of social class tension and radical change has sprouted from this

land, carrying Nepal into the international spotlight.

Mass campaigns in opposition to King Gyanendra, the dismissal of the monarchy, and

the founding of an acting government in 2006 have emphasized the renovation that has

cultivated in this nation

Pakistan

June 5th Nawaz Sharif was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

.The elected civilian government and parliament completed a full five-year term in

office (2008-13) the first time in the 66 years since the country was born in 1947.

The peaceful transfer of power from one democratic civilian government to another is

injecting hope and trust into the countrys fragile democratic process. It signifies that

despite various challenges, the countrys parliamentary system has finally arrived.

Bangladesh

A government put in place by de facto military coup oversaw a return to free and fair

elections at the end of 2008


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Bhutan

Series of reforms driven by the monarchy have resulted in the first open election in

their history and the adoption of a formal constitution

Paraguay

Held pivotal election that ended the 61 year reign of the Colorado Party and ushered ina reformist government

Arab Spring

Arab Spring refers to the democratic uprisings that arose independently and spread

across the Arab world in 2011.

The movement originated in Tunisia with the Tunisian Revolution, or JasmineRevolution, began on Dec. 17, 2010 after Mohammed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old

Tunisian man, set himself on fire in front of a local municipal office.

The term was previously used beginning in March 2005 by numerous media

commentators to suggest that a spin-off benefit of the invasion of Iraqwould be the

flowering of Western-friendly Middle East democracies.

This movement quickly took hold in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi

Arabia, and Jordan and several other countries in the region.

The protests led to political changes in several countries, including regime change in

Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, a new head of state in Yemen, while there is still an ongoingcivil war in Syria.

A main force behind the uprisings was the call for a formative political change, with

freedom, democracy and justice, and the attack on corruption and nepotism.

The Arab Spring has brought down regimes in several Arab countries, sparked mass

violence in others, while some governments managed to delay the trouble with a mix

of repression, promise of reform, and state largesse.

Conclution

The goals of democratization and respect for human rights are still far from being

fulfilled.


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Documents

Wealth & Democracy