Democracy and Democratisation Flashcards
(35 cards)
What is the core principle of democracy
rule of/by the people, reflected in the Greek origins of ‘demokratia’
What does Dahl argue about the meaning of democracy
it has evolved over thousands of years creating a “jumble of theory and practices; that are often deeply inconsistent”
What does Dahl argue the reality of a democracy is
A ‘polyarchy’
What is a polyarchy
an arrangement that is neither wholly a democracy nor a dictatorship - ‘democracy with political limits’
What are features of a polyarchy
- freedom of association, expression and information
- universal suffrage
- right to stand as candidates
- free and fair elections
What is a procedural democracy
focuses on the procedures and set rules, ensuring everyone gets a say and that elections are free and fair
What is a substantive democracy
focuses on the outcomes of procedures, making sure that they reflect the will of the people and lead to equal rights/social justice
What does Larry Diamond 1999 say substantive democracies must contain
- free and fair elections
- the active participation of the people
- protection of the human rights of all citizens
- rule of law
What are the ‘waves of democratisation’ by Samuel Huntington
a group of transitions from non-democratic to democratic political systems that occurs within a specific time period that significantly outnumbers transitions in the opposite direction during that period
when was the first wave of democratisation
1928-1922
what was the feature of the first wave, and what countries established democratic institutions
- transitions were slow, democracy was more an outcome than an intention. EG: expansion of suffrage in the UK occurred gradually
- nearly 30 countries, Britain, France, US, Argentina
what was the first ‘reverse’ wave of democracy
collapse of new European democracies due to fascist, communist or militant dictatorships between 1922-42
when was the second wave of democratisation
1943-1962
what did the second wave of democracy do and what were the features
restored democracy in Europe and saw political parties playing a key role in this transitions, changing the attitude from seeing parties as a source of faction to a source of progress
when was the second reverse wave and why was it caused
1958-1975, due to democratic breakdown in Latin America, Africa, Asia, Greece
Third wave of democracy
transformed the global political landscape. and provided an inhospitable environment for non-democratic political systems that survived
what were the roles of external forces in the third wave
- European community: key actor in consolidating democracy in southern Europe, making it seem necessary to secure economic benefits of the EC
- withdrawal of soviet power
- 1970s-80s: US was a major promoter of democratisation
What is the issue of snowballing in relation to democratisation
social and economic conditions that were favourable to democracy were not present everywhere meaning whilst the ‘external’ environment is created it does not produce the conditions necessary for democratisation in a certain country - EG: eastern EU, major obstacle was Soviet control
What are the four stages of democratisation
- liberalisation
- transition
- consolidation (widespread acceptance)
- deepening
what are the three theories that explain democratisation
economic, cultural and bargaining
What is the economic theory (Using Lipset 1959)
‘the more well-to-do a nation, the greater chances it will sustain democracy’ - democracy is related to the state of economic development
what do economic theorists argue about modernisation
‘modernisation theory’ - as countries become wealthier, the economy transforms with the dominance of the large industry and service sector
what are the two hypothesis of the economic theory
- wealth correlates with democracy, commonality between the raising GDP and the decreasing likelihood of dictatorships
- democratic survival, transitions to dictatorships become less likely as wealth increases
Who provides evidence to both economic hypothesis
Prezworski et al
