But in addition to these ‘demands’ “there are qualities of liberal democracies that include:”
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A that limits the authority of the government and protects many civil rights
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, granting all citizens the right to vote regardless of race, gender or property ownership
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, including speech, assembly and protest
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and access to alternative information sources
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Equality before the law and under the
- The right to private property and privacy
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citizens informed of their rights and civic responsibilities
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A broadly and deeply-entrenched with
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An independent judiciary, with opportunities for
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A system of between branches of government
Further, it is generally agreed that liberal democracies are based on four main principles:
- A belief in the individual, based on the idea that the individual is both moral and rational
- A belief in reason and progress, based on the belief that growth and development are the natural conditions of mankind, with politics the art of compromise
- A consensual theory of society, based on the belief that society is a kind of mutual benefit association, based on the desire for order and co-operation, rather than disorder and conflict
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A suspicion of concentrated forms of power, whether by individuals, groups or governments.
In sum, then, “democracy now means a republican form of government, which may be only electorally representative in its characteristics, or also liberal.” The constitution therefore places constraints on the extent to which the can be exercised. Usually, the executive and parliament are constitutionally subject to the , but some liberal democracies allow no judicial review of constitutionality. Theorists consider these to be the most important 'liberal' element of liberal democracy, but the term is widely used for other elements. In any case, institutional protection for specific minority rights limits the democratic power of the majority, on those specific issues, and cannot in itself resolve a conflict between the two groups. It seems evident at the outset that the liberal-democratic defines the democratic character of the state. It should be acknowledged that in the American political tradition, the purpose of a constitution is often seen as a limit on the authority of the government, and American ideas of liberal democracy are influenced by this. Also, it needs to be appreciated more that European constitutional liberalism “is more likely to emphasise the Rechtsstaat, usually translated as , although it implies a specific form of or .”
It should be remembered, too, that liberal democracies are representative democracies. Some of these democracies have additional systems of to give the a possibility to overrule decisions of the elected or even to make decisions by without giving the legislature a say in that decision. and are some of the few liberal democracies with a representative system combined with referenda and plebiscites. Other countries have referenda to a lesser degree in their political system. “Adding referenda to a political system could help prevent the evolution of a liberal democracy into an oligarchy.”
It perhaps needs stressing once again that liberal democracy refers to political systems in which there are attempts to:
- Defend and increase civil liberties against the encroachment of governments, institutions and powerful forces in society
- Restrict or regulate government intervention in political, economic and moral matters affecting the citizenry
- Increase the scope for religious, political and intellectual freedom of citizens
- Question the demands made by vested interest groups seeking special privileges
- Develop a society open to talent and which rewards citizens on merit, rather than on rank, privilege or status
- Frame rules that maximize the well being of all or most citizens.
Accordingly, liberal democracies are organized in such a way as to define and limit power in order to promote legitimate government within a framework of justice and freedom. To the effect that:
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POWER
Efforts are made to define and limit power, usually by means of a written constitution. Checks and balances, such as the separation of legislative, executive and judicial power, are instituted. There are conventions of behaviour and an equitable legal system to complement the political system.
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LEGITIMACY
The notion of a legitimate government with a mandate/authority to rule is crucial. Governments require a high degree of popular support, derived from an electoral system that allows for popular, free and frequent elections with the highest possible franchise.
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JUSTICE
This is achieved by the full implementation of the equitable things already mentioned so that citizens live in a climate where representative democracy prevails tempered by constitutionalism, free elections and restraints on power, so that all citizens are treated equally and accorded dignity and respect.
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FREEDOM
For freedom to exist, there must be the freedom to make decisions. To learn from them and to accept responsibility for them. There must be the capacity to choose between alternatives and the freedom to do what the law does not forbid. Prohibitions should exist for the general good and there should be respect for political and civil liberties. Liberal democracies often experience disputation about the appropriate role of government in economic matters, some groups arguing for a totally free market, whilst others support varying degrees of regulation and intervention.
On top of this, political scientists generally agree that there appears to be some kind of connection between capitalism and liberal democracy. One of the fundamental effects of capitalism is that it revolutionized political regimes: the effect that capitalism has on the political institution is the creation of a new regime known as liberal democracy. Thus, liberal democracy becomes the determining factor of a capitalist society in the modern era. Anyway, there is much debate over how to define capitalism. “Some proponents of capitalism (like , and ) emphasize the role of (presumably efficient) , which they claim promote between individuals, innovation, economic growth, as well as .” For many (like ), capitalism hinges on the elaboration of an economic system in which goods and services are traded in , and belong to non-state entities, onto a global scale. For others (like ), it is defined by the creation of a in which most people had to sell their in order to survive. As Marx argued, capitalism is also distinguished from other market economies with private ownership by the concentration of the means of production in the hands of a few. The point is that the conception of what constitutes capitalism has changed significantly over time, as well as varying depending on the political perspective and analytical approach taken.
To illustrate futher, 's advocacy of focused on the role of enlightened self-interest (the ‘invisible hand’) and the role of in making capital accumulation efficient. Every schoolchild knows that the deployment of the legal authority of the capitalist within the confines of his business enterprise thus constitutes an unrecognized transfer of political power from the state into private hands. According to Ellen Meiksins Wood, capitalism represents “the ultimate ‘privatization’ of politics, to the extent that functions formerly associated with coercive political power … are now firmly lodged in the private sphere …” The economists of the expound that an economy that is not planned or guided by governmental authority will be superior in efficiency and organization due to the phenomenon of . Many others use capitalism as a synonym for a . According to Fukuyama liberal democracy implies a commitment to market capitalism because these guarantee individual rights in the economic sphere. Accordingly, he posits (as does Huntington) that the national societies of the world have moved or are moving towards a political culture of liberal democracy.
However, and crucialy, a set of broad characteristics are generally agreed on by both advocates and critics of capitalism. These are a , , free enterprise, , unequal distribution of , competition, (or ), the existence of (including the ) and the and the , and the pursuit of . “Capitalism is often contrasted to in that besides embracing private property in terms of personal possessions, it supports private ownership of the means of production.” Those who support capitalism often credit the lack of control over the means of production by government as crucial to maximizing economic output. , in Liberalism, says that the “history of private ownership of the means of production coincides with the history of the development of mankind from an animal-like condition to the highest reaches of modern civilization.”
What is important here is that the notion of a ‘’ where all economic decisions regarding transfers of money, goods, and services take place on a voluntary basis, free of coercive influence, is commonly considered to be an essential and exclusive characteristic of capitalism. In a free market, government may act in a defensive mode to forbid coercion among market participants but does not engage in proactive interventionist coercion. coined the term ‘’ as a market where ‘spontaneous order’ emerges when no centralized control source (government) overrides decisions of individuals pursuing their own ends.
What is being argued, then, is that the emergence of capitalism represents a major globalizing dynamic. Capitalism is such an effective form of production that it confers enormous power on those in control of it. This power can be used to subvert, control or bypass religious, political, military or other power resources. Capitalism cloaks itself in the mantle of modernization. It offers the prospect not only of general and individual increases in the level of material welfare but of liberation from the constraints of tradition. This renders modernization inevitable (absolute) and capitalism compelling.
In light of the foregoing, it is just possible that Benito Mussolini was right when he declared that “democracy is a kingless regime infested by many kings who are sometimes more exclusive … than one,” ultimately, in the context that liberal democracy is a constriction of political authority to create the largest possible space for the self-determined action of ‘individuals’. Accordingly, it envisages a main function of government as a self-inhibitory discipline, withdrawing from areas previously occupied by state authority and creating legal barriers to secure those liberated territories for their inhabitants’ unfettered use.
Brierly, J.L. (1963) The Law of Nations (Oxford University Press).
Sandel, M. J. (1982) Liberalism and the Limits of Justice (Oxford University Press).
Thomson, D. (ed.) (1966) Political Ideas (Harmondsworth: Pelican).
Tansey, S.D. (1995) Politics: The Basics (London: Routledge) p. 60.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_democracy#Qualities_of_liberal_democracies
Revel, J. (1977) The Totalitarian Temptation (Hormondsworth: Penguin) p. 215.
Diamond, L. (ed.) (1994) Political Culture & Democracy in Developing Countries (USA: Lynne Rienner) p. 177.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_democracy
Tansey, S.D. (1995) Politics: The Basics (London: Routledge) p. 178.
Blackburn, R. (ed. (1977) Revolution and Class Struggle: A Reader in Marxist Politics (Fontana: Collins) p. 28.
See Mark, K., Capital, Vol.3.
Meiksins Wood, E. (1995) Democracy Against Capitalism: Renewing historical materialism (Cambridge University Press) p. 45.
See http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian_school
Heilbroner, R.L., The Nature and Logic of Capitalism, p. 14.
See http://www.what-means.com/encyclopedia/Ludwig_von_Mises
See Hayek, F.A. (1960) The Constitution of Liberty (London: Routledge).
Davidoff, H. (ed.) (1942) The Pocket Book of Quotations (New York: Pocket Books) p. 61.