Direct democracy

whenever fifty-plus-one or more win a vote, they are able to further their own interests at the expense of the forty-nine or less. Thus, if democratic institutions are not constrained to some extent, a democracy may dissolve into tyranny as described in Plato’s Republic. Thus, Western democracies have in place several forms of constraints that limit the ability of the majority to exert its power over the minority (or minorities). To take one example, the American Constitution has laws that allow…

During the third wave of democratization, a transformation of political institutions to democracies in the developing world, the majority of countries in Latin America shifted from military regimes to democracies. While Latin America has been identified as the third most democratic region in the world, after Western Europe and North America, democracy in the region must overcome huge obstacles Western counterparts do not experience as harshly, such as widespread poverty, poor education, and…

cosmopolitan democracy. Both theories form nations and have specific guidelines for a nation to follow. Rousseau based his theories on the Spartans and Romans of ancient time. He studied the small nation-states and their developments, and found characteristics that made them prosperous. While, the theory of cosmopolitan democracy is a response from an ever changing global climate during the Cold War. With more and more states interacting and having direct influence; cosmopolitan democracy was…

the introduction of true democracy to it’s citizens by Cleisthenes. However, Cliesthenes, the ruler during this time, was not the sole participant in the beginning of democracy in Athens. His predecessors, Solon and Pisistratus, laid very important groundwork such as outlawing debt slavery and attempted to equate the power between the rich and the poor, respectively. Solon especially was praised by “fourth-century Greeks who regarded [him] as the father of Athenian democracy” (Ehrenberg, 67).…

institutional changes that led to democracy in Mexico result in more violence? My answer to this question is that the democratization of Mexico has resulted in more violence because the PRI allowed for the criminals to coexist with the government while the competitive nature of democracy influenced politicians to fight the criminal activities. Many other authors attempt to answer this question, however, they do not fully analyze the competitive nature…

failures of the Electoral College in adhering to democratic principles. Proponents for direct elections cite these implications as a source of criticism of the current system. The national attention on those states that have the variability for political competition can cause an imbalance in issues that candidates consider (Grofman & Feld, 2009). These issues would be difficult to dictate in the case of a direct election. In this sense, it is evident that there was a particular purpose for…

philosophy, stated that” The very design of neoliberal principles is a direct attack on democracy”. (Liberal Democracy Quotes, 2015) This essay outlines how the principles, institutions and mechanisms of liberal democracy safeguards popular sovereignty. In order to uphold the preservation of popular sovereignty there are certain principles, institutions and mechanisms of liberal democracy that must be recognized. Principles of liberal democracy constitutes equality, accountability, political…

Democracy is what's known as political ideology, or better yet, a system of government, in its most purest form gives the power to the people. More so, the main concept of “modern democracy” is composed of three main parts: democracy, constitutionalism, and liberalism. In order for there to be a true democracy, these three must exist. Typically, democracy is ruled by the people through elections, and other forms of political participation. An in depth explanation of “Democracy” is defined…

complex problem. People often define democracy in different ways. Howard Zinn and Sidney Hook, both famous historians, are two of those who define it quite differently. Howard Zinn chooses to define it as a set of criteria that examine the quality of life of our citizens, whether that is access to information, or equal pay. Hook on the other hand chooses to examine it in a more procedural nature, focusing on the criteria that categorize a procedural democracy, whether that is majority rule or…

rule is not necessarily oligarchical… but rather a regime sufficiently democratic to prevent elite domination and maintain popular legitimacy…elite democracy is a theory of representative government that seeks to reconcile centralized institutions with democratic principles.” Barker, D. M. (2013) goes on to say that a few key themes in an elite democracy which include, “a view of institutional systems as self regulating. That is… rather than an active citizenry, institutional systems are…