Plan for Today: What do we mean by democracy?

1. Plan for Today:What do we mean by democracy? Introduction to three basically different categories of definitions of democratic regimes, comparing and contrasting them.

2. Democracy • Demos = people • -cracy = “rule”

3. “Regime” vs. “State,” “Government” • “State”:territorially defined political entity, like “country.” • “Government”: collection of particular leaders fulfilling governing positions at any one time. • “Regime”: Set of rules & institutions defining political system.

4. Different types of definitions of democracy • Procedural: minimalist or complex set of procedures that must exist in politics. • Substantive: emphasize social, economic and political outcomes that must exist. • Process-oriented: set of continual processes that must be going on.

5. Procedural Definitions • Focus on process and rules defining democracy. • Most common definitions today in study of democratization.

6. Procedural Definitions Complex Minimalist Democracy = competitive elections Additional institutions and/ or liberty protections required

7. Minimalist Electoral Definitions • Define democracy by process used to make up governing institutions. • Require only multi-candidate, competitive elections.

8. Minimalist Electoral Definitions • Joseph Schumpeter’s (1943) definition: “individuals acquire the power to decide by means of a competitive struggle for the people’s vote.” • Also Przeworski, Huntington

9. Problems with minimalist procedural definitions • “Fallacy of electoralism” (Terry Karl): The belief that elections equal democracy. • One resolution: label such regimes “electoral democracies” • Regimes that have minimal competitive elections, but no other democratic institutions.

10. More Complex Procedural Definitions • Institutions or guarantees of freedoms, as well as elections, must exist to call regime democratic. • E.g. Liberal definitions of democracy.

11. “Illiberal Democracies”(FareedZakaria) • Everyone has the right to vote among multiple candidates, but human rights and individual liberties are not well observed. • Examples: Russia, other post-Soviet, Nigeria, Venezuela.

12. Complex Procedural Definitions Examples of Institutional Requirements • Checks & balances, separation of powers:legislative, executive, & judicial organs separated. • Rule of law:legal rules applied fairly and consistently to all citizens. • Guaranteed protection of minorities.

13. Complex Procedural Definitions Examples • Robert Dahl’s definition of “Polyarchy”: • Opposition– contestation through elections. • Participation– the equal right of all adults to vote and run for office. • Includes certain civil liberties, argued to be essential.

14. Complex Procedural Definitions Examples • Schmitter & Karl:Dahl’s requirements plus a few more: • Elected leaders must not be subject to veto from unelected officials. • Elected officials must be able to make binding decisions without approval of foreign actors.

15. Complex Procedural Definitions Examples • Larry Diamond adds many institutions for protecting liberal democracy: • Constitution. • Civil society. • Independent media. • Independent judiciary.

16. Substantive Definitions of Democracy • More maximalist in nature. • Demand that democratic regime must succeed in providing outcomes that promote equality among citizens. • Frequently democracy must extend beyond formal politics to society and economy.

17. Substantive DefinitionsExample • Ann Phillips(feminist): outcomes should allow all women to have equal chance with men at participating. • Social and economic inequalities prevent. • Actual participation most important measure of democracy.

18. Process-oriented definitions of democracy • Charles Tilly: such approaches “identify some minimum set of processes that must be continuously in motion for a situation to qualify as democratic”.

19. Examples of process-oriented conceptions • Tilly: regime is “democratic to the degree that political relations between the state and its citizens feature broad, equal, protected, and mutually binding consultation.” • Democracy inheres in the processes going on in relations between the state and citizens.

20. Examples of process-oriented conceptions • Participatory democracy or deliberative democracy. • e.g. Benjamin Barber: “strong democracy in the participatory mode.”