CHP 6: Democracy and Democratization

Question 1

what is the one of the most fundamental concepts in poltics?

Answer 1

Democracy
* rule by the people
* right/liberities for citizens
* political rights
* many definitions

Question 2

the most common accepted definitions of democracy include these aspects

Answer 2

• civil rights/liberties
• political rights

Question 3

Procedural definitions of democracy in detail.

Answer 3

• what makes a country democratic is that it follows these prodedures/rules/conditions
• not a lot of depth to this definiton
• they include the political rights and civil liberties/rights
  *

Question 4

What are the political rights a procedural definition entails?

Answer 4

• elections are free/fair/competitve/reoccuring (most people can participate)
• multiple parties (choice)
• any one can run
• related to electoral process

Question 5

what are the civil rights/liberties a procedural definition entails?

Answer 5

• the main freedoms
• speech/expression
• access to information/press
• to assemble and protest
• civic life outside of elections
• if these are violated they can push for policy change/law change

Question 6

What was a recent addition to procedural definitions?

Answer 6

• democracy is not overruled by colonial or outside power
• clear distinction between civilian and military rules

Question 7

Substantive definition of democracy in detail?

Answer 7

• more towards the democratic depth/quality
• beyond just the rules/procedures
• adds the important aspect of certain outcomes
• argue that a country can go past just democratization

Question 8

what does a democratic regime include?

Answer 8

• democratic institutions
• democratic rules and structures

opposite for authoritarian regime

Question 9

What are some elements of a substantive democracy defintion?

Answer 9

• participation/social inclusion in civil society involvement
• equality/equity in gender/race etc
• accountability (lack of corruption) and institutional performance
• public knowledge/awareness
• poverty,inequality,economic outcomes

countries can always make progress in democracy

Question 10

political/economic/civil inequality along lines of ethinicity/race/gender can point to

Answer 10

the levels of democratic depth or quality of a democracy

Question 11

difference between civil rights and civil liberties?

Answer 11

civil rights are the basic rights to protect equal/safe access to things like public services, and civil liberties

civil liberties are freedoms of the people in a democracy (freedom of speech etc)

Question 12

What are some more aspects of a representative democracy

Answer 12

• elected representatives vote on behalf of people
• constitutional rights limit power of government and political majority so those who lose are not alienated
• US = CR
• UK = CM

Question 13

What are some more aspects of a direct democracy?

Answer 13

• use of referendum (popular vote on issues, democracy closer to the people, citizen assemblies)
• sometimes favor representative democratic institutions (seen as complementary)
• some worry that collective decisions do not represent minority groups

Question 14

Some more aspects to democratic transitions?

Answer 14

• can be a slow OR rapid process
• different for every area
• diverse in their causes/impacts
• some can be gradual or revolutionary

Question 15

More aspects of democratic consolidation?

Answer 15

• longer term process
• seen as process by which democracy and its political/civil rights become habitual for citizens
• happening only when democracy is happening however

Question 16

What are some challenges/setbacks of consolidation?

Answer 16

• it is never a smooth transition (transitioning to free/fair election comes with difficulties)
• failure to consolidate can lead to populism

Question 17

Democratic Consolidation

What is populism?

Answer 17

highly exlusive identification with ‘the people’ at the expense of institution/groups that are perceived as ‘foreign’
* leaves those who are historically margnialized vulnerable

Question 18

describe each theory for democratization

**Modernization theory **

Answer 18

• economic development increases likelihood of democratization
• development of middle class and more literate population (only societies with modernization can strike balance between classes)
• democracies became more stable when they were relatively wealthy
• no modernization = no democratic push
• supports endurance of democracy

India = largest democracy but lack modernization can point to their lack of success in democratization (much of country is still poor)

Question 19

describe each theory for democratization

Cultural theories

Answer 19

• political culture shapes the possibilities for democracy and democratization
• some political cultures increase the possibility of the establishment and persistence of authoritarian regimes
• some cultural variables predisspose countries to democracy and prevent others from it

Asian values - prefer social relations over individualims, comfortable with respect to authority, democracy is secondary to ideas of order, so = less conducive to democracy

Question 20

describe each theory for democratization

Systemic/structural theories

Answer 20

• situate countries on international level
• major powers/global trends predict democracy emergence
• international environment
• structural - certain ways of organziing polticis have cultural influence globally

Question 21

describe each theory for democratization

Domestic institutional theories

Answer 21

• success of democracy depends on forms of political institutions in a country
• dysfunctional political institutions undermine a regime

institutional design!

Question 22

describe each theory for democratization

Agency-based theories

Answer 22

individual actors/actions or small groups are drivers of regime change