Lecture 6: democracy Flashcards
(7 cards)
What is democracy according to Robert Dahl?
What are the key conditions that make states democratic?
How does Dahl link democracy to equality?
Democracy Defined: At its most basic, democracy means rule by the people. For Dahl, democracy is inseparable from equality.
“A push toward democratic participation develops out of the logic of equality.”
In democracies, all members are politically equal (Dahl, 1998: 37).
Key Conditions for Democratic States:
Inclusive Citizenship:
No adult permanently residing in the country and subject to its laws can be denied the rights available to others.
These rights include the right to vote, run for office, free expression, participation in political organizations, and access to independent information.
Effective Participation:
As nations grow large and citizens become too dispersed geographically, effective participation means ensuring citizens can influence government decisions.
Citizens should be able to control the political agenda and ensure their concerns are adequately addressed by officials.
democracy (simplest version)
rule by the people
What are the different models of democracy according to David Held?
How does each model define freedom?
Ancient Athens (Classical Republicanism)
Freedom as Equality:
Freedom comes through equal participation in the polis (community).
Humans are political animals who achieve fulfillment through active engagement in the political community.
Key Idea: Equality through participation (Aristotle).
Renaissance Republicanism (Machiavelli, Rousseau)
Non-domination & Community:
Freedom as self-governance, where the political community is accountable only to itself.
Civic Freedom: The highest political ideal is a self-governing people, where citizens participate in shaping their government.
Key Idea: Self-government and participation in the community (Machiavelli, Rousseau).
(Modern) Liberal Democracy (Hobbes, Locke, Mill)
Rights, Duties, and Consent:
Freedom as the individual freedom to pursue one’s own goals, with emphasis on rights, duties, and consent.
Liberalism defends freedom of choice, reason, and toleration, ensuring people can pursue preferences in religion, economics, and politics.
Key Idea: Individual autonomy and protection from tyranny (Hobbes, Locke, Mill).
What are the newer models of democracy according to David Held?
Bureaucracy: Competitive Elitism and Technocratic Vision (Marx, Weber, Schumpeter)
Focus: The role of bureaucracy and elite competition in democracy.
Key Challenge: How power is concentrated in elites and technocrats, limiting broader democratic participation.
Parties: Pluralism, Corporate Capitalism, and the State (Dahl)
Focus: Political parties and their relationship to pluralism and corporate capitalism.
Key Challenge: How party systems shape and sometimes distort democratic processes and decision-making.
Publics: Deliberative Democracy (Habermas)
Focus: The role of public debate and deliberation in democracy.
Key Idea: The shift from focusing only on macro-political institutions to examining civil society contexts.
Key Challenge: Some civil contexts hinder deliberation, while others encourage it
Democracy: Procedural vs. Substantive
Procedural Democracy: Democracy is good because it is a system by which people self-rule. It focuses on the process — the mechanisms that allow the public to participate in decision-making (e.g., voting, elections, referendums). It’s an intrinsic defense of democracy because the act of self-rule itself is valuable.
Example: Holding a referendum to decide on a national policy, where the focus is on the fairness and inclusivity of the process, regardless of the outcome.
Substantive Democracy: Democracy is good because it produces good outcomes — policies and decisions that benefit society. It focuses on the results that democracy generates, ensuring that decisions improve the welfare and interests of the public.
Example: A democratic system passing policies that improve healthcare or education, valuing the positive consequences of the decisions made, rather than just the act of voting.
Three Intrinsic Defenses of Democracy as a Procedure
Democracy as Freedom (Autonomy):
Democracy respects individual autonomy by ensuring all individuals participate equally in decision-making. Even when outvoted, people still have the opportunity to engage and contribute to collective decisions, reinforcing the value of choice and consent.
Democracy as Self-Realization:
Participation in democratic processes (e.g., voting) is intrinsically valuable for human development.
Through participation, individuals use their full distinctively human capacities and achieve a kind of freedom found in being part of a self-governing community.
Deliberating about decisions is essential for personal growth and flourishing.
Democracy as the Embodiment of Equality:
Democracy and equality are coterminous (as Robert Dahl argues):
Political equality is at the core of democracy—everyone’s participation is equally valued.
By ensuring all have equal say in the decision-making process, democracy embodies and reinforces fundamental equality among citizens.
Three Instrumental Defenses of Democracy as Substance
Democracy Generates Good or Correct Decisions:
Democracies tend to make better decisions because large groups are more likely to be correct (Condorcet’s theory).
Deliberation and public discussion improve decision-making by providing better information, enhancing moral thinking, and encouraging public-spiritedness.
The legitimacy of decisions in democracies comes from the likelihood of generating good outcomes.
Democracy Enables Intellectual and Moral Development:
Making political decisions improves citizens: the act of participating in democracy helps develop intellectual and moral capabilities.
By engaging in decision-making, people become better citizens, not just better decision-makers.
Democracy Has Perceived Legitimacy:
Decisions made by citizens are often seen as more legitimate than those made by autocrats, enhancing the stability and respect of laws.
The perception that laws are legitimate because they are chosen by the people contributes to the long-term stability of a democratic system.
