Democracy
Part I: Foundational Ideology
Democracy
Democracy is founded on the principle that it vests power over the people. Such power is exercised directly by the people or through their elected officials. A democratic state is characterized by equality of rights, privileges, and social equality. These democratic values are universal and shared worldwide, irrespective of one’s culture, religion, economic status, and political affiliation. Therefore, democracy is a fundamental human citizen right to be practiced on conditions like respect for the plurality of views, transparency, and responsibility. The practice of democracy should, therefore, reflect respect for all.
A crucial democratic principle of democracy is flexibility. Democracy ought to be applied according to the modalities of every nation (Kavarskas, 2009). For instance, there is a need to incorporate the ideas of diversification of a specific country while implementing democratic goals. Culture is another crucial democratic factor when adopting democracy in any given country. These two factors have especially been issues of concern regarding the version of democracy among developing nations. These nations feel that the West (European countries and the US) is trying to import their understanding of democracy to developing countries. These countries think that whatever Americans may see as democracy is not necessarily what qualifies as democracy in their countries. The contention has often resulted in diplomatic conflicts among nations.
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Advantages of Democracy
One of the advantages of democracy is the protection of people’s interests. Just like it is in the definition, the role of democracy in a country is to represent the people’s interests. That is achieved through the elected representatives voted in through a democratic process (Kavarskas, 2009). The elected officials present the needs of the people. For instance, the democratic process allows for the election of a representative to represent the needs of every state. These elected officials form the link between the people and the higher government officials.
Democracy is also essential in preventing the abuse of power. The objective is reached by setting term limits for elected officials (Kavarskas, 2009). If the citizens feel that the people they elected to office are not fulfilling their election mandate, they will be voted out. On the other hand, those who perform according to people’s expectations are re-elected. Most nations have progressively adopted term limits, especially for heads of state. The leaders of states wield so much power that abuse of power may occur if they are left unchecked.
Another advantage of democracies is accountability. Democracy yields more freedom of speech, uncontrolled media, checks and balances, and the rule of law than other governance systems (Kavarskas, 2009). These factors produce positive economic results compared to other governance systems. For instance, low-income countries with relatively high democratic standards experience 60% more economic growth. That means if these countries did not practice democracy, they would lose that portion of economic growth.
On the other hand, autocracy tends to produce relatively poor economic outcomes. For instance, a developing nation with an autocratic regime only experiences 30% more economic growth than a non-autocratic nation (Kavarskas, 2009). These results show the difference in the power democracy has on nation-building compared to autocracy.
Also, democracy gets people involved. People–engagement is achieved through the right to vote. When people vote, they feel a sense of belonging in the country. Besides, the right to vote makes people feel vital as they make critical decisions in their governance system. By voting, people think that they have the power to make necessary changes in their countries.
Disadvantages of Democracy
Despite the many benefits that characterize democracy, it also has some disadvantages. One of the disadvantages of a democracy is that it opens the window of corruption for elected officials. That happens because elected officials are granted the power to control huge budgets in most democratic nations (Kavarskas, 2009). Some elected officials converted the resources from public use to personal use. Also, politicians are vulnerable to corrupt cronies while in power. The people who make campaign contributions to politicians often expect politicians to repay them. In what has come to be known as state capture, these wealthy individuals end up controlling economies to the detriment of the people.
Besides, democracy also encourages the election of the wrong people into seats of power. That happens because political seats are open to everyone as long as they fulfill the election conditions (Kavarskas, 2009). Such freedom often encourages the election of notable figures, regardless of their competence. For instance, an actor, singer, or TV presenter will likely be elected into office since they are public figures. Besides, some officials are selected because they can afford aggressive advertising. That leaves other politicians who cannot mount similar campaign machinery on edge. With money, one is halfway elected, especially in developing countries.
Another notable disadvantage of a democracy is that it makes voting a choice. The right to vote in a democracy is accompanied by the right not to vote. In other words, voting is a privilege, not an obligation. With such freedom, some people may not vote due to a lack of awareness and motivation. Also, other people may feel that whether they vote or not, their choice will not matter as the majority will take everything.
In most cases, such tendencies lead to the election of the wrong people. As long as someone has sufficient resources, they can motivate a few voters financially. The few will make the ultimate decision to the disadvantage of the majority.
Part II: Form of Government
The Representative Democracy
One of the common forms of government systems in democracies is the representative democracy or liberal democracy. In this form of government, people vote for representatives who make laws (M Cherif Bassiouni & Inter-Parliamentary Union, 1998). The constitution guides the rules and the elected officials’ exercise of power. The body is usually a written document spelling the country’s laws. However, in a few cases, like in the UK, the body is the collection of multiple copies.
Advantages of the Representative Liberal Democratic Government
One of the advantages of representative democracy is that it is efficient. A single elected official represents the needs of many citizens (M Cherif Bassiouni & Inter-Parliamentary Union, 1998). For instance, in the US governance system, a state is represented by only two senators. That means with just a single election, people’s representatives are chosen. That saves the country time and money, redirecting to other more pressing governance issues.
Moreover, a liberal form of governance is empowering. That is because it gives people the hiring and firing power. With such power, people can choose their officials based on their competence. The ones who fail to fulfill their democratic needs are ejected in the next election cycle.
Disadvantages of Liberal Form of Government
Liberal governments are unreliable since the leaders elected under this government are not obligated to implement people’s interests. Politicians are not legally bound to follow that course (Jiang & Wan, 2020). The leaders may abandon people’s interests midway and follow their desires. The only way people can punish them is by voting them out. Even so, citizens must wait till the expiry of an election cycle.
Also, liberal governments are characterized by bureaucracy. Bureaucracy occurs when administrative processes are incorporated with politics. That often slows the implementation of significant issues affecting the people (Jiang & Wan, 2020). For instance, the US president cannot declare war without the approval of the House of Representatives. That can disenfranchise American citizens in a situation where they need to defend themselves.
Part III: Political Participation
Party System
The US political dispensation has two major parties: the Democrats and the Republicans. The two parties often contest national presidential elections every four years (Britannica, 2019). However, these parties are just local and state organizations before a significant event like the general election. There are other smaller parties in the country, but such parties have limited election success.
Civil Rights
America’s civil rights movement traces its roots to the attempts to save African Americans from unfair treatment. Even though America banned the slave trade at the end of the Civil War, some citizens of African descent continued to be mistreated, especially in the Southern States of America (Hamlin, 2017). As the mistreatment took a violent turn, citizens in the South started civil rights movements, culminating in the civil rights model at the national level.
Interest Group Influence
US interest groups send representatives to Congress and state legislatures. The primary role is to pressure Congress members and other policymakers to incorporate their needs during policy formulation. These representatives mostly use lobbying to present their needs since they do not have a majority to influence decisions directly. For instance, during the US Congress’s consideration of discrimination in private clubs, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts sent their representatives to Congress. These representatives advocated for the need for the clubs to remain single-sex organizations.
References
Britannica. (2019). United States – Political parties. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States/Political-parties
Hamlin, R. (2017). Civil rights | society. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/civil-rights
Jiang, J., & Wan, K.-M. (2020). Liberal Democracy and Education-Based Inequality in the Post-Cold War Era. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3514091
Kavarskas, G. (2009). The Democracy Advantage: How Democracies Promote Prosperity and Peace Summary. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1486683
M Cherif Bassiouni, & Inter-Parliamentary Union. (1998). Democracy: its principles and achievement. Geneva Inter-Parliamentary Union.
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