Lecture 2
democracy as an idea; how democracy evolved
democracy - a form of government
the process of which decisions are made within a political community
what kind of rules apply (laws made by legislature)
how are those rules enforced (executive power)
how resources are collected and used (taxes and budgets
goals to be carried out and how they will be achieved (policy)
a regime
→ particular system in which government leadership is chosen
how do we classify regimes in political science?
democracy - Canada, Germany
authoritarian - Russia, Syria
totalitarianism - North Korea
a process of succession in government
succession - the process by which leaders are chosen and how they are
removed and replaced
→ the people have sovereignty. what is sovereignty and who are the people
the people were the citizens, citizens would leave out women, lower class etc;
but modern democracy says all people are eligible to be citizens
power: the ability to make and enforce decisions, to gather and use resources
sovereignty: who is the ‘rightful’ or legitimate ruler of a country
where is power considered to belong?
a person or family - monarchy
Lecture 2 1
a group of people - a political party
people as a whole - democracy
Dahls definition:
peoples ability to choose their government is made possible through a system
which provides:
elections/ with real choices/ at defined times
all adult citizens can vote (universal suffrage)
basic human rights are protected so people can make free informed
choices ``
Aristotle
citizenship, participation
all citizens participate
every citizen is equal, but not every person is a citizen
each citizen has something of value to contribute
deliberation
citizens discuss and debate problems in order to arrive at solutions to
problems
decisions are the result of discussions where people exchange views,
weigh the logic of option, offer information, consider implications
consensus
idea of rule by the people, but defining citizens narrowly in order to exclude
some groups
democracy in 21st century
racism - democracy does not exist when a majority imposes its will over a
minority
leadership - democracy can be threatened the people chose a leader who can
then make all the decisions
Lecture 2 2
inequality/ economic uncertainty - democracy can be at risk if the rich
dominate decisions, or if the economy fails
Lecture 2 3
