Introduction
Democracies come in many forms. Direct and representative are the most popular, but there are also other types like Participatory, Liberal, Parliamentary, Pluralist, Constitutional, and Socialist. Basically, a democracy is a government that gives the people the power to make decisions, restricts the ability of the President, divides the power between different government bodies, and protects the rights of the people and their civil liberties.
Democracy: Key Takeaways
Democracy, derived from the Greek word for “rule of the people”, refers to the power of the people to determine the form and function of their government.
Democracies come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have one thing in common: competitive elections, free speech, and the preservation of individual rights and freedoms.
In most countries, elected politicians represent the people's needs and wants by writing and voting on bills and deciding on policies.
When making laws and policies, elected officials in a democracy balance conflicting needs and duties to maximize liberty and safeguard individual rights.
Contrary to popular belief, democracy is still the most popular form of government in the world. For instance, in 2018, 96 out of every 167 countries with a population of 500,000 or more were democracies. Since the mid-70s, the percentage of world governments that are democracies has steadily increased, reaching 57% in 2018, just below the post-WWII peak of 58% reached in 2016.
Democracy Definition
Democracy is defined as “the rule of the people by the people.” In other words, democracy is a political system that not only permits but also necessitates the involvement of the people. Perhaps the most famous definition of democracy in the United States of America was given by Abraham Lincoln in his famous Gettysburg Address of 1863. Lincoln said, “…the government of the people shall be founded on the principle that the people, through the people, and for the people...
Democracies are derived from the Greek words “demos” (people) and “karatos” (governance). However, the concept of establishing and maintaining a popular government is much more complex than its semantic simplicity may suggest. Several fundamental political and practical questions need to be addressed when constructing the legal basis for democracy, usually a Constitution.
Is "rule by the people" really the right way to run a state? Do the freedoms of a democracy make it worth dealing with its complicated bureaucracy and election process, or would a monarchy, with its easy predictability, be better?
If you favor democracy, which citizens of a nation, state, or city should have the political right to full citizenship? Simply put, who are the "people" in the "government by the people" equation? For example, in the United States, the birthright citizenship doctrine states that any citizen born on American soil automatically becomes a citizen of the United States. In other democracies, full citizenship is more limited.
Finally, what percentage of the population will still think that democracy is best for them? In order to survive, a democracy must maintain substantial popular support, both among the people and among the leaders chosen by them. History has proven that democracy is one of the most fragile institutions. Indeed, of the world’s 120 new democracies since 1960, almost half have degenerated into failed states or replaced them with other, usually more authoritarian, forms of governance. That’s why it’s important for democracies to be able to respond rapidly and appropriately to internal and external forces that threaten them.
Democratic Principles
Political scientists differ on the exact nature of democracy, but most agree that it is founded on six fundamental principles:
Popular sovereignty: The concept that government is established and sustained by popular consent through the election of representatives.
An Electoral System: Because, according to the popular sovereignty principle, all political power is vested in the people, a well-defined system of free and fair electoral processes is necessary.
Public Participation: Democracies are seldom sustained without the participation of the population. Health democracies facilitate and promote the participation of the people in their political and civil processes.
A Rule of Law: The rule of law is the belief that all individuals are subject to the rule of law, which is the law that is made public and enforced in a manner that respects human rights through an independent judicial system.
Human Rights: Democracies guarantee human rights in addition to their enumerated rights and freedoms. Human rights, in this context, are those rights that are considered inherent to all individuals, regardless of their nationality, gender, race, nationality or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language or any other factor.
Separation of Powers: It's based on the idea that power should not be concentrated in one person (like a king) or group and that political power should be divided and distributed among different government bodies. Most democracies have this in their constitutions.
Types of Democracy
There are over 2,234 different types of democracy in the history of the world, more than the number of countries in the entire world, according to sociophilia and political philosophy. Direct and representative are widely regarded as the two most common types of democracy, but there are many other types of democracy that exist today. Direct democracy is not the only type of democracy, but most of the other types of democracy recognized today are variants of representative democracy. These different types of democracy generally reflect the specific values that representative democracies emphasize.
Direct
Direct democracy, sometimes referred to as pure democracy, is the oldest form of non-authoritarian government. It originated in Ancient Greece around the 5th century BCE. A direct democracy is a form of government in which all laws and public policies are passed by a majority of voters, rather than through the votes of elected representatives.
In Switzerland, direct democracy is only possible in small states and is the only form of direct democracy that is used on a national scale today. Switzerland is not a direct democracy anymore, but any law that is passed by the national popularly elected parliament can be overruled by a direct popular vote. In addition, citizens can amend the Constitution by direct votes on constitutional amendments. Examples of direct democracy in the United States include state-level recall elections and ballot initiatives for lawmaking.
Representative
Representative democracy Also known as an indirect democracy, representative democracy is a form of government where all eligible citizens elect representatives to pass laws and form public policy on behalf of the people. These elected representatives are supposed to represent the interests and opinions of the people in making decisions that benefit the whole of a state, nation, or other jurisdiction.
Representative democracy is the most popular form of democracy today, with nearly 60% of the world’s population living in some form of it, including the US, UK, and France.
Participatory
In a Participatory democracy, citizens vote directly on political policies, and their elected representatives are accountable for their implementation. Participatory democracies depend on citizens to determine the course of state action and the functioning of their political structures. While the two types of government share similar goals, a Participatory democracy tends to foster a higher and more direct level of citizen involvement than a traditional representative democracy.
While there is no such thing as a “participatory democracy,” most representative democracies use citizen participation as a vehicle for social and political change. For example, in the United States, the civil rights movement of the 1960s was a result of “grassroots citizen participation,” which led elected officials to pass laws that made sweeping social, legal and political changes.
Parliamentary
A legislative parliament in a parliamentary democracy is directly elected by the people. Much like the United States Congress, the parliament acts directly on behalf of the people and makes the necessary laws and political decisions for the country.
In a parliamentary democracy like the UK, Canada, or Japan, the prime minister is the head of government. He or she is first elected by the people to parliament and then elected by the parliament by a vote. But the prime minister is still a member of parliament, so he or she is actively involved in the process of making and passing laws. A constitutional monarch is a type of government where a queen or king is the head of state, and their powers are limited by a Constitution.
Liberal
A liberal democracy is a type of representative democracy that upholds the values of classical liberalism, an ideology that promotes civil liberties and economic liberty by restricting the power of the state. A liberal democracy uses a Constitution, either codified (as in the United States) or uncodified (as in Great Britain), to define the government's powers, ensure separation of powers, and establish the social contract.
A liberal democracy can be a constitutional republic (as in the United States) or a constitutional monarchy (as in the UK, Canada, or Australia).
Pluralist
In a pluralistic democracy, the political power does not reside with a single group. Rather, it is a competition between organized groups within the population to shape public policy. According to political science, the concept of pluralism expresses the belief that influence should be distributed among distinct interest groups, as opposed to belonging to a single elite group, such as an aristocracy. In contrast to participatory democracy, in which individuals participate in the formation and implementation of political decisions, individuals work through associations formed around common interests in order to gain the support of elected political leaders.
A pluralist democracy is one in which the government and society at large benefit from a plurality of points of view. An example of pluralist democracy in the United States is the influence of special interest groups such as NARW on American politics.
Constitutional
Political scientists continue to dispute the exact definition, but constitutional democracy is generally understood to be a system of government founded on popular sovereignty and the rule of law, in which the structure, powers, and limitations of government are laid down by a Constitution. The purpose of constitutions is to limit the power of government, usually by dividing those powers between the different branches of government, such as in the federalism of the United States. A constitutional democracy is the “Supreme Law of the Land.”
Socialist
Generally speaking, democratic socialism is a system of government founded on a socialist economy in which the majority of assets and resources are owned and managed collectively, rather than independently, by a well-defined political hierarchy—the state. Social democracy, on the other hand, accepts government regulation of businesses and industry as a way to promote economic development while avoiding income inequality.
Even though we don't have socialist governments anymore, you can still see some of the features of democratic socialism in Sweden, like free universal healthcare, free education, and big social safety nets.
Is America a Democracy
The word democracy is not used in the U.S. Constitution, but it describes the fundamental features of representative democracy. These include a majority-rule electoral system, a separation of powers and a reliance on a legal system. The word democracy was also used frequently by the founders of the United States when discussing the form and purpose of the Constitution.
Today, however, there is no definitive answer to the question “Is America a democracy?” or “Is it a republic?” More and more political scientists, constitutional scholars, and others argue that the US is both a democracy and a republic.
A republic is similar to a democracy in that it is a state governed by elected representatives. The difference between a direct democracy and a republic is that the people govern the state, but the people govern themselves through their representatives.
Democracy of India
India's democratic government is the largest in the world. The foundation of India's democratic system was laid on January 26, 1950, with the entry into force of India's Constitution. Democracies in India are based on the principles of freedom, equality, brotherhood and justice. Voters in India have the right to cast their ballot without discrimination on the grounds of religion, caste, region, or gender.
India is a federal state governed by two governments, the central government and the state government. The central government is at the center of the state government, while the state government is governed by the democratically elected state government. The parliament is composed of two houses, the Rajya Sabha (the lower house) and the Lok Sabha (the upper house). The country's president (the head of state) is elected by both governments.
India's first election marked the start of the democratic system, to be more precise, the first government was formed by the people's vote. It was observed that the first Indian election was one of the largest experiments in world democracy. The election was conducted on the basis of the universal adult franchise. The universal adult franchise states that the citizens of India are 18 years of age or older and are eligible to vote and form the government regardless of their religious, cultural, or ethnic origin, gender, region, or caste. Since this was the first election in India, the process of the election was unfamiliar to both the people who were voting and those who were conducting the election. The election took place over a period of about four months, from 25 October 1951 to 21 February 1952.
In addition to the 14 national parties, there were regional parties contesting the election (63), and several candidates stood as independents. The Congress won the election with a majority of the votes cast and a majority of seats. This was the first time Congress won a general election in India.
