This document discusses different aspects of democracy including its definition and origins from Greek terms. It outlines Robert Dahl's characteristics of democracy and Arend Lijphart's models of majoritarian and consensus democracy. Several conditions for democracy are presented including control of the military by elected officials, democratic beliefs, no foreign control, limited cultural conflict, and a modern market economy. Measures for assessing democracy from a dictatorship scale, Polity scale, and Freedom House are defined. The document also discusses theories of democratization in three waves and factors that influence democratization such as political, economic, social, and cultural elements.

1. POL 252-01
Spring 2016

5.  “Democracy” is from Greek “Demokratia”
 “Rule of the People”
 “Demos” = “People”
 “Kratos” = “Power”
The Parthenon in Athens, Greece

7. ROBERT DAHL CHARACTERISTICS
 Effective Participation
 Voting Equality
 Enlightened
Understanding
 Control of the Agenda
 Inclusion of Adults

8. AREND LIJPHART MODELS OF DEMOCRACY
 Majoritarian Model
 Consensus Model

10.  Consolidation of power in hands of majority
 Characterized by:
 Exclusiveness
 Competititveness
 Adversarial Nature
 What are the model’s traditional features?

12.  Sharing of power for broader participation
and agreement in govt.
 Characterized by:
 Inclusiveness
 Bargaining
 Compromise
 What are the model’s traditional features?

14. ON DEMOCRACY BASIC CONDITIONS
 Essential
 Favorable

16.  Control of Military & Police by Elected Officials
 Impact on Internal Sovereignty
Many governments in this region
gained power by military coups
and other non-democratic means.
Costa Rica = Democracy

17.  Control of Military & Police by ElectedOfficials
 Democratic Beliefs and Political Culture
 Citizen preference of democracy
 Occurs through socialization
Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance
in elementary school is an early
form of political socialization.

18.  Control of Military and Police by ElectedOfficials
 Democratic Beliefs and Political Culture
 No Foreign Control Hostile to Democracy
 Country cannot be influenced by non-democratic or
authoritarian entity

19.  Limited or No Cultural Conflict
 “Us” vs. “Them”
 Democratic Institutions amid Cultural Diversity?
▪ Assimilation
▪ Decision by Consensus
▪ Electoral Systems
▪ Separation
 Modern Market Economy and Society

21.  Democracy-Dictatorship Measure
 POLITY Measure
 Freedom House Measure

22.  Democracy-Dictatorship Measure
 Governmental Offices
▪ Chief Executive and Legislature are ELECTED
 Contestation
▪ Uncertainty – Outcome NOT known beforehand
▪ Irreversibility –Winner of election actually takes office
▪ Repeatability – Elections occur at regular intervals

24.  Democracy-Dictatorship Measure
 POLITY Measure
 Competitiveness and Openness of Executive
Recruitment
 Regulation and Competitiveness of Political
Participation

25.  Democracy-Dictatorship Measure
 POLITY Measure
 Freedom House Measure
 Political Rights
▪ Electoral Process, Participation, Functioning of Govt.
 Civil Rights
▪ Freedom of Expression, Rule of Law, Personal Autonomy

26. We can argue that the U.S. became a democracy at different historical points.

29. “BOTTOM-UP” PROCESS
Popular Uprising
Overthrow of
Authoritarian
Regime
Democratization
“TOP-DOWN” PROCESS
Introduction of
Reforms by Elite
Increasing
Reforms
Democratization

31.  Discusses
democratization via
three periods or “waves”Samuel Huntington

32. Roots in
Revolutions
• American
• French
Expansion of
Franchise
• U.S.
• Europe
Receded by
1930s
• Military Coups
• Fascism

33. Origins inWorld
War II
• Democracy in
Europe
• Independence
Movements
Receded by
1960s
• Military Coups and
Dictatorships
• ColdWar Politics

34. Democratic
Governments
• Latin America
• Asia
Democracy in
Europe
• Fall of BerlinWall
Former Soviet
Nations Declare
Independence
• Lithuania
• Belarus
• Armenia

38.  Structural vs.
Contingent Approach
 International vs.
Domestic Approach
 Economic vs.
Political Approach

40. POLITICAL
 Political Institutions
 Globalization
ECONOMIC
 Shocks and Crises
 Composition of Wealth
 Inter-Group Inequality

41. SOCIAL
 Middle Class
CULTURAL
 Civil Society