Comparative Democracies

Reasons for democracy: fundamental values/goods

Political equality, Liberty

Common interest
Fair moral compromise
Binding decisions, Efficient decisions
Satisfaction of wants

Theories of democracy
Economic theory
Social capital theory

Models of democracy

Classical Athenian model

Republican democracy: protective and developmental models
Liberal democracy: protective and developmental models
Marxist direct democracy model

Competitive elitist democracy model

Pluralist democracy model
Legal democracy model
Participatory democracy model

Two basic models

Direct or participatory: (direct involvement of citizens in decisionmaking)
Liberal/representative: (elected officers to represent interest of people
within the rule of law)

Classical Athenian model

Principle of justification
Citizens should enjoy political equality in order that they be free
to rule and be ruled in turn

Key features
Direct participation of citizens in legislative and judicial
functions
Assembly of citizens has sovereign power
The scope of sovereign power include all common affairs
of the city
Multiple methods of selection of officers (direct election,
lot, rotation)
No distinction of privilege to differentiate ordinary citizens
and public officials
An individual cannot hold the same office twice (except
military)
Short office term
Payment for public service

General conditions

Small city-state with agricultural hinterland

Slave economy
Domestic service by women freeing men for public office
Restriction of citizenship

Criticism and demise

Equality was questioned
Rise of empire and strong state
weak economic base
External threat and internal military cost

Republican democracy

Republicanism
An idea of self-government in Renaissance Italy in 17th, 18th centuries
Virtuous citizens and civic restraints as basis of civic life or political
community
A sense of public or political liberty as the right of the people to share
in the government
Power and legislature from despots to peoples

Protective republicanism
Emerged in the late 11th and continued through 15th centuries in Italy
City-republics in florence, padua, pisa, milan
Appointed consuls or administrators to run judicial affairs in definace to
the papal and imperial authorities

Principles of justification
Political participation as an essential condition of personal liberty, if
citizens do not rule themselves, they will be dominated by others

Protective republicanism
Key features
Balance of power between the people, aristocracy and
monarchy
Citizen participation through election of consuls or ruling
councils
Competing social groups promoting and defending their
interests
Liberties of speech, expression and association
Rule of law

General conditions
Small city community, religious basis, independent
artisans and traders, exclusion of women, labourers in politics,
intensive conflict over rival political association

Developmental Republicanism
Based on Rousseau's idea of social contract
Principle of justification
Citizens must enjoy political and economic equality on order that
nobody can be master of another and all can enjoy equal freedom and
development in the process of self-determination for the common good

Key features
Division of legislative and executive functions
Direct participation of citizens to constitute the legislature
Unanimity on public issues is desired, but majority decision in the case
of disagreement
Excusive position in the hands of magistrates
Executive appointed by election or lot

General conditions

Small non-industrial community

Diffusion of property ownership
Citizenship depending on property holding/ independent producers
Domestic service for women to free men for politics

Liberal democracy

A sense of personal or private liberty the protection of

rights against all governmental encroachment, particularly
by the legislature.
Factors contributed to its emergence

Struggle between monarch and estates over authority

Peasants rebellion against taxation and social obligation
Spread of trade, commerce and market relations
Changes in military and other technology
Consolidation of national monarchies
Growing influence of Renaissance culture
Split of Christian religious tradition
Struggle between church and state

Tradition of thought:
Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, James Madison, J. Bentham, J Mills, Adam
Smith

Protective Liberal Democracy

Principles of justification
Citizens require protections from the government as well as from
other citizens to ensure that those who govern pursue policies that
are commensurate with citizens interest as a whole

Key features
Sovereignty ultimately lies with the people but is vested in
representatives who can legitimately exercise it
Regular elections, secret ballot, factional competition, potential
leaders or parties, and majority rule are foundational basis for
accountability
State power is impersonal, legally restricted and divided among
various branches of governments
Centrality of constitutionalism to guarantee freedom and prevent
arbitrary rule, political equality and civil rights and liberties of free
speech, expression, association, voting and belief
Separation of state from civil society- non-interference of state in
citizens civil life
Competing power centers and interest groups

 General conditions

Development of a politically autonomous civil society

Private ownership of the means of production
Competitive market economy
Patriarchal family
Extended territorial reach of the nation-state

Developmental Liberal Democracy (JS Mill)

Principles of justification
Participation in political life is necessary not only for the
protection of individual interests but also for the creation
of an informed, committed and developing citizenry.
Political involvement is essential for the highest and
harmonious expansion of individual capacities

Key features

Popular sovereignty with universal franchise

Representative government (elected, secret ballot)
Limited government and promotion of individual rights
Separation of bureaucracy and elected legislature
Citizen involvement in government, public debate and
jury service

 General conditions
Independence civil society with minimum state
intervention
Competitive market economy
Private possession and control of the means of
production
Political emancipation of women, but
preservation of traditional division of labour
Nation-state system with developed relations

Direct Marxist Democracy

Justification
Free development of all can be achieved with the free development of each
Freedom requires end of exploitation, ultimate political and economic
equality
From each according to ability, to each according to need

key features

Socialism Communism
Commune/council regulated structure
self regulations by all
Personnel are mandated by community
collective governance
Personnel are paid no more than workers wage
administration by
rotation
Peoples militia to maintain law
self-monitor replaces armies

General conditions

Unity of working classes

classes disappear
Defeat of bourgeois
abolition of private possession of means
End of all class privileges
Elimination of market, money
Sufficiency to meet all basic needs end of social division of labour
progressive integration of state and society

Competitive elitist democracy

Principles
Method for selection of skilled political elites capable of making
legislative decisions

Key features

Parliamentary government with strong executive

Competition btw rival political elites and parties
Domination of parliament by party politics
Centrality of political leadership
Bureaucracy is independent
Constitutional limits on political decision

General conditions

Industrial society
Fragmented socially and politically
Culture of political tolerance
Technically trained experts