Democratization.
Democratization is a process which leads to a more open, more participatory, less authoritarian society. Democracy is a system of government which embodies, in a variety of institutions and mechanisms, the ideal of political power based on the will of the people. In places from Latin America to Africa, Europe and Asia, numbers of authoritarian regimes have given way to democratic forces, increasingly responsive governments and increasingly open societies. Many States and their peoples have embarked upon a process of democratization for the first time. Others have moved to restore their democratic roots. The basic idea of democracy is today gaining adherents across cultural, social and economic lines. While the definition of democracy is an increasingly important subject of debate within and among societies, the practice of democracy is increasingly regarded as essential to progress on a wide range of human concerns and to the protection of human rights. Democracy may be defined by its inherent nature and by its empirical conditions. As to its nature, Aristotle defined democracy as rule by the people (Greek demokratia: demos, people + -kratia, -cracy), and this idea that in some way the people govern themselves is still the core meaning of democracy. But around this idea several related themes have developed that are now thought integral to what democracy means. One is that
Economic Development is a necessary and sufficient condition for democracy. Discuss.
'Economic development is a necessary and sufficient condition for democracy' Discuss The last thirty years has seen an unparalleled growth in the spread of democracy. The growth, identified by Huntington as the 'Third Wave' has driven academics to question what independent variables are required for successful democratisation. The concept of 'democracy' is inherently confusing, thus before we can contribute to the debate we must first define the key term democracy. Whilst political theorists disagree as to what constitutes a democracy this essay will follow Samuel Huntington's procedural definition that a society is democratic when those who make major decisions in society have been chosen through free, fair and regular elections.. Thus the aim of this paper will be to assess whether a certain level of economic development (defined in terms of rising capita income, growing per capita energy consumption, etc.) is "the necessary platform upon which democracy can become established and flourish" (Leftwich, 1996, 47) . Theories of democratization come under the guise of three main theoretical approaches which include In search of democracy's preconditions we often come across a multitude of factors that are essentially conducive to democracy modernization, transition and structural theories. An explanatory factor is a condition, structure or process that comparative analysis
Is there Democracy in Pakistan?
IS THERE DEMOCRACY IN PAKISTAN “The army in Pakistan has announced the dismissal of the government after seizing control of key installations across the country” BBC reported on 12th of October 1999. Pakistan has a worst social and political setup since its independence. Some of the most important changes in the world since late eighteenth centaury, like the policy of “glasnost” (transparency) in the former Soviet Union, the fall of the Berlin wall, the fall of soviet union and social and political changes in the world have made the representative democracy as the most appropriate political system in the world. Due to this many countries of Europe and most important most of the developing countries adopted democracy as the base of their political setup. After British left from Indian subcontinent, the representative democracy was adopted in South Asia. Pakistan, a developing country, also adopted this democratic setup. The history of democratic system in Pakistan is very complex and difficult to interpret. People do ask many questions regarding the existence of democracy in Pakistan. Some say there is democracy in Pakistan and some say there is not, but in my view Pakistan does not have a democratic system. Before going into the issue of existence of democracy in Pakistan we must see the basic and precise definition of “Democracy”. According to the
Is liberal democracy the best system?
Is liberal democracy the best system? Critically assess. There is no perfect way to organize societies because people are imperfect and therefore incapable of devising a system without flaws. Throughout history, governments of every sort have violated every imaginable human right. In light of such conditions, and with the knowledge that the individual is the building block of society, there is a strong argument to be made for liberal democracy being the best system. To begin, the question of why one system is better than others can only be asked in a theoretical way. This is because defining something as best is entirely subjective depending upon the criteria of evaluation. For example, some might argue that North Korea’s military dictatorship is oppressive and that is a terrible system because it suppresses private enterprise and generally violates fundamental human rights of its people. [1] Defining the governance system as terrible is based upon the idea that much value should be placed on the ability of individuals to exercise extensive personal freedoms. Accepting this assumption, the reasons that liberal democracy is superior to alternate systems such as military dictatorships, absolute monarchies, and others, becomes more clear. One key benefit of liberal democracies is that they acknowledge and act on the will of the majority while still protecting the rights
Is the US Supreme Court the most powerful branch in the Government?
The US Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States and therefore is also the most powerful. It was the only court to be created from the Constitution which was implemented in 1789 under the Judicial Act. "Article III, §1, of the Constitution provides that "[t]he judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish." The Supreme Court of the United States was created in accordance with this provision and by authority of the Judiciary Act of September 24, 1789 (1 Stat. 73). It was organized on February 2, 1790."[1] The intentions of the court are to interpret the US constitution. As seen in the question there are other branches of government, the Supreme Court comes under the judicial section and the other 2 are the executive Branch which includes most notably the President of the United States. The Third and last branch is the legislative branch that includes Congress. In Article III, Section 2 of the constitution the power and responsibility of the Supreme Court is written and this is the wording; “The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties made, or which shall be made, under their authority;--to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and
The Relationship Between Congressional Elections and Representation
Congressional representation and congressional elections have a very interwoven relationship. Representation affects the way congressional elections will turn out, and at the same time, elections determine the type of representation constituents receive. According to David R. Mayhew, the main goal of representatives is to always get reelected. There are three different styles of representatives. The fist is that of the Delegate. The Delegate does exactly what his or her constituents want him of her to do. The second style is that of the Trustee. The Trustee votes for what he or she thinks is best for everyone as a whole. The final style of representative is that of the Politico. The Politico does whatever it takes to stay in office. Within the three styles of representatives, there are two different focuses of representatives. In determining focus, the representatives ask themselves “whom am I representing?” The first type of focus is a representative who represents the people of only his or her district. This person will vote with how his or her constituents feel. The second type of focus is a representative who believes he or she represents the people in his or her state as a whole. This representative is more likely to vote in a manner he or she thinks will be the best for the entire state even if it means affecting his or her district negatively.
Ministerial Responsibility
Ministerial Responsibility. 'Ministerial Responsibility is an administrative myth' Discuss and analyse this statement with reference to the practice of ministerial responsibility in recent years. The government of Ireland "Rialtas na hEíreann, is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. It is headed by a prime minister who is referred to nationally as the Taoiseach and a deputy prime minister called the Tanáiste. The President of Ireland then appoints the remaining members of the government as a minister. These ministers are divided up into allocated departments, where they are "responsible for every single act of his or her department and of the civil servants in that department" (Byrne, 1996). Controversy over the roles carried out by ministers over the last few decades has increased widespread acknowledgment that ministerial responsibility is no longer efficient and "can no longer serve as the sole constitutional touchstone of accountability" (Connaughton, 2006). In this assignment, my first aim is to compare and contrast the roles of ministers and civil servants and their input into our State. Secondly in forming an apprehension of accountability and with the investigation into four case studies of neglected State work in the practice of ministerial responsibility over the last few decades, I hope I will have a worthwhile argument in justifying
To what extent is liberalism compatible with democracy?
To what extent is liberalism compatible with democracy? Liberalism has an ambivalent relationship with democracy, as liberals are against collective power, but support political equality. In the nineteenth century liberals were often opposed to democracy as they saw it as a threat to individual rights - the people are not a single entity but rather a collection of individuals with different opinions and interests, and so it is impossible for every view and opinion to be respected. Since the twentieth century most liberals have come round to the idea of democracy, and support it, but they still have reservations. Liberals defend democracy for a variety of reasons. First of all it ensures public accountability. This gives the people a degree of protection against governments becoming too strong. Liberals believe in limited government, and democracy provides this system, as the government is accountable to the people. Although most liberals would agree that government is essential in order to defend the rights of the people, it can also be seen as a threat to individual liberty, so people need some form of protection against it. According to John Stuart Mill, 'the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others'. Therefore, the role of government is to protect the liberty of