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From World War II to 1980s the 1st, 2nd, 3rd World label was most common• 2nd World countries have disappeared with the
demise of communism; and those that remain are adopting market based systems (Vietnam, China)
• Old 3rd World countries have become somewhat more developed and industrialized as well as economically powerful (Brazil, Mexico)
• There are also 4th world countries (Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Haiti) because of its poor economies
Looking at overall strength of economy• GDP and GNP• PPP-Purchasing Price
Parity-looks at basic cost of living in a particular country by measuring the same basket of goods (Economist Big Mac Index)
• Human Development Index-PPP plus longevity, knowledge on a scale of 0 to 1 http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDI_2008_EN_Tables.pdf
How democratic is the government?• Consolidated democracies-long established• Transitional democracies-newly established
“hybrid regimes” 5 Things in common
Free and fair elections Political parties are free to organize and compete Transparency, accountability in the policy making
process Citizens have civil and political rights An independent judiciary to protect citizens check
other two branches
Nothing is perfect, however• Electoral outcomes
may not be rational, equitable or wise
• No government has fully lived up to its democratic standards
• How the checklist is interpreted by the people (France’s headscarf debate)
• Economic inequalities stack the deck in the wealthy’s favor- “more equal than others”
• Implementation varies by the institutions that enforce them
• Authoritarian regimes Characterized by the exact opposite of the 5
features mentioned …but, some contain democratic values
China is based on socialist democracy Iran has multiparty elections, but defined and limited
by the Islamic clergy
Different types of democracy dependent on socioeconomic factors, state structures, policy practices•ACCOUNTABILITY is key
The Regime defines the democracy•Methods of access•The actors admitted to or excluded from•Strategies actors can gain access•Rules in making of publicly binding decisions
Process is institutionalized Written body of laws is created to make it
effective
Procedures of Democracy• Competition
Not always a trait of democracy• Federalist 10 argues competion a necessary
evil• Regular elections• Majority Rule• Cooperation
Civil society—citizen deliberation without relying on supreme central authority
• Means of election Must be accountable to the people
Increase in size of government distorts accountability
Based on Rule of Law• Control of government’s decision by elected
officials• Frequent and fair elections• Adults have the right to vote• Right to run for office• Free speech• Free press• Freedom of Association• Elected officials must be free from OVERRIDING
influences from military, bureaucracies• Polity is self-governing
Identify the 7 attributes of democracy according to Robert Dahl.
What two additional attributes do the authors add?
What are the 4 things democracy is not.
What is Schmitter and Karl’s “ideal” democracy.
“The liberal conception of democracy advocates circumscribing the public realm as narrowly as possible, while the socialist or social-democratic approach would extend that realm through regulation, subsidization, and in some cases, collective ownership of property.”
Democratization will not necessarily bring in its wake economic growth, social peace, administrative efficiency, political harmony, free markets, or “the of ideology”…Instead, what we should be hoping for is the emergence of political institutions that can peacefully compete to form governments and influence public policy, that can channel social and economic conflicts through regular procedures, and that have sufficient linkages to civil society to represent their constituencies and commit them to collective courses of action.
The deregulation of democracy has…produced an unwieldy system, unable to govern or command the respect of people.
What 3 institutions do people trust? Why? We should be embracing less democracy
instead of more. (Federalist 51, maybe) Democracy should be delegated, especially in
economics People are beginning to understand the
importance of the “middle man” Direct democracy has only been tried a few
times, ending in failure Is Zakaria promoting a new socialism or asking
for a new bourgeoisie.
Democracy is not always economically efficient Democracy is not always more administratively
efficient• More actors must be consulted for policy making• More payoffs to more clients• Rent seeking
Democracy is not likely to appear more orderly, stable, or governable because of• Freedom of expression• Continuing disagreement over new rules and
institutions• Anti systems parties will be present and may not
play by the rules