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Evaluating Electoral Democracy

Evaluating Electoral Democracy. Susan Banducci Professor of Comparative Political Behaviour Politics. Objectives. Review Concept of Democracy, from cross-national perspective Review Criteria by which to Evaluate Democracy Representation Accountability Turnout legitimacy

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Evaluating Electoral Democracy

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  1. Evaluating Electoral Democracy Susan Banducci Professor of Comparative Political Behaviour Politics

  2. Objectives • Review Concept of Democracy, from cross-national perspective • Review Criteria by which to Evaluate Democracy • Representation • Accountability • Turnout • legitimacy • Can you have elections without democracy? Democracy without elections? • Possibilities for reform

  3. Models of Democracy (1) • Procedural view • a form of government that emphasizes the procedures that enable the people to govern or how decisions are made • Who should participate in decision-making? • How much should each participant’s vote count? • How many votes are needed to reach a decision? • Universal and equality • Substantive • substance of government policies, in freedom of religion and the provision for human needs or what government does

  4. Substantive, “Outcome”-focused Definitions Procedural Definitions Minimal electoral definitions More complex procedural definitions (“liberal democracy”) Maximalist definitions

  5. Models of Democracy (2) • Minimal Procedural • means of competitive struggle (Schumpeter) • More complex procedural • Institutions or guarantees of freedoms, as well as elections, must exist to call regime democratic. • E.g. Liberal definitions of democracy • Substantive • The criterion for substantive democracy states that government policies should guarantee civil liberties and civil rights.

  6. More on Electoral Democracy • Electoral democracy • Joseph Schumpeter, Capitalism, socialism and democracy • Procedural minimalist definition • "The democratic method is that institutional arrangement for arriving at political decisions in which individuals acquire the power to decide by means of a competitive struggle for the people's vote“ • Multiparty elections at regular intervals • Citizens select leaders

  7. Evaluating Democracies (1) • Electoral Democracy vs. Liberal Democracy (and ambiguous) • Regimes that have minimal competitive elections, but no other democratic institutions. • Institutions or guarantees of freedoms, as well as elections, must exist to call regime democratic. • See Larry Diamond • Representation, accountability, turnout, legitimacy

  8. Evaluating Democracy (2) Representation Descriptive representation – women underrepresented (20% in UK, 70% LAB) Why? Institutions, political parties and culture?

  9. Evaluating Democracy (3) Accountability Are citizens able to hold elected official accountable through the electoral process? Consider Lack of information, nature of campaigns Issue voting? Low participation

  10. Evaluating Democracy (4) Turnout Equal access but bias in turnout Who has the loudest voice (representation)

  11. Evaluating Democracy (4a) • Human Development Index – aggregate differences in turnout • Also, bias at the individual level – i.e. in general those who are better off (have more resources) are more likely to vote

  12. Evaluating Democracy (5) Legitimacy Satisfaction with democracy Trust/confidence in institutions

  13. Conclusions Reform: Compulsory Voting Electoral Systems: i.e. Proportional Representation Direct Democracy

  14. Additional resources: • Larry Diamond, "Elections Without Democracy: Thinking About Hybrid Regimes," Journal of Democracy 13 (April 2002): http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_democracy/v013/13.2diamond.html

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