Democratization Test
What are some of the preconditions that can help promote democratic development?
- Growing middle class- more education, higher standard of living - spread of ideas through technology and information - collapse of alternative systems (makes democracy seem like the correct form of government) - level of economic development and the international environment of democracy
Obstacles to democratic development
- Must be willing to embrace modernization (and will give up some traditions because of this) Ex: Middle East allowing for more rights for women because of external pressure - must have high or increasing level of economic development (Russia, China, Venezuela challenge this) - Rise of authoritarian regimes because of democratic responsiveness (China) - can cause violence if imposing democracy on another country
What is Democratic Consolidation?
- When all major actors seeking political influence in a country accept democratic competition, citizen participation, and rule of law to create a stable political system - Democratization process goes through all institutions of competitive political parties, independent judiciaries, subordinate military, and security bureaucracies - citizens support and promote democracy within their country
Rousseau
- believed human nature was basically good but society corrupts - social contract: individuals sign with one another, not with ruler - individuals give up ultimate freedom for the majority decision - gov is agent of the state designed to carry out the will of the majortiy
Locke
- believed people were good and cooperative - purpose of gov is to establish order in society - social contract: people agree to have gov to protect life, liberty, and property; if ruler becomes tyrant, people can rebel
Hobbes
- believed that people were always fighting and brutal - one ruler should govern all - people willingly give up ultimate freedom to obey a ruler who keeps order - social contract: once people agreed, they could never rebel against their leader (even if tyrant)
What is an illiberal democracy?
- country has democracy, but very little or no "constitutional liberalism - corruption, autocratic leaders, etc. encumbers the institutions, laws and documents that may provide for a democratic gov. in a country - could be called Hybrid Regime (has both authoritarian and democratic elements)
Montesquieu
- denied that there was one perfect form of government - large nations = absolute autocracy - limited size nations = limited monarchy - small nation = republican gov - separation/balance of powers (legislative, executive, judicial branches)
Voltaire
- fought for religious freedom and toleration - believed man was good and reasonable - feared masses and majority rule - ideal form of gov was an enlightened monarchy who studied the science of government and protected basic human rights gov's power should be limited
Plato
-Believed that mankind was selfish and unstable -society should be divided into 3 classes: merchants, farmers, artisans, then soldiers, then intellectual aristocracy (the Republic) - philosopher-kings would be those who show the greatest ability
Aristotle
-human happiness is the most important thing and comes from a good government -have term limits -believed rule by the middle class would be the most effective - best form of government called a polity: cross between oligarchy and democracy - government should provide poor with money to buy farms or start business
What standards does Freedom House use to measure democratization of a particular country?
1) electoral process 2) political pluralism and participation 3) functioning of the government 4) freedom of expression and belief 5) associational and organizational rights 6) rule of law 7) personal autonomy and individual rights
Democracy from Below
A mass push from the citizens of a country for a more democratic rule (mass demonstrations after the fall of the USSR or during Arab Spring)
What role do strategic coordination and coordinated goods play in promoting democracy?
Allow for the spread of ideas and more education, which leads to people questioning authoritarian government and turning towards democracy
Substantive Democracy
Allows for political rights and civil liberties: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of organization. Also has free and fair elections. One step above the procedural democracy
Great Britain and Mexico- Fully Democratized
Britain: ranked top or nearly top for both political rights and civil liberties Mexico: originally a partially democratized nation with the PRI monopoly over politics. Became fully democratized with the 2000 election in which Vicente Fox won the election (not in the PRI)
In what ways can economic development hinder democratization?
Bruce Bueno de Mesquita- authoritarian regimes use economic development to strengthen their power. Rulers like Putin will use money to placate the citizens with public goods (social services) to be reelected and have legitimacy.
Procedural Democracy
Countries with free and fair elections for the real policymakers and the right of all adult citizens to vote (CANNOT JUST HAVE ELECTIONS- authoritarian govs. have elections too- China and Russia)
In what ways can the international community prohibit or impose democracy?
Countries' decisions about democratization are heavily influenced by the surrounding (more powerful states). Democratization of violence can also cause already unstable countries to breakdown further. US pushing Iraq and Afghanistan into democracy ended up hurting these countries.
Difference between democracy and constitutional liberalism? (Zakaria)
Democracies can be a mixture of elections and authoritarianism (illiberal democracies) in which they have free and fair elections, but still restrict civil liberties. Constitutional liberalism occurs when a country has free and fair elections and allows for civil liberties. They have a "constitution" that limits the government control in someways and provides the civil liberties
How can democracy be initiated?
Democracy can be started from the people (citizens) or by the rulers wanting a change in the regime. Sometimes this will be spurred on by an economic downfall or the possibility/reality of war
Democracy from Above
Democratization of a country comes from the rulers of a country- electoral competition and political freedoms are introduced by the authoritarian rulers (Mexico in the 1990s)
Military Dictatorship
Domination in society comes from the unified strength of armed soldiers; fragile, but difficult to resist
How and why does economic development help promote democratization?
Economic development--> modernization: - better transportation - people moving to cities - service industry emerges, which calls for more education of individuals - unions and professional associations emerge - better living standards and public health standards = longer life expectancy When people become more educated and learn about the world, they want more rights and more democracy. Also, democracy can sustain much better in a modernized, more developed nation.
Democratic Responsiveness?
Governments do what the citizens ask of them or complain about. Ex: If there is an economic crisis, the government will respond with policies or jobs for the workers. -Democracy said to have the best responsiveness, but China is proving that wrong with their authoritarian gov -authoritarians can respond to issues without any input from other-- makes the process faster
Why do newly independent countries struggle with implementing democracy?
Implementing democracy requires a certain amount of stability within a nation, which newly independent ones do not have. "democracy cannot put roots in stony ground"
Iran and China- Undemocratized
Iran: Radical Islam leaders took control and destroyed opposition groups. Ultimate political authority given to religious leaders. Media control, limited women's rights, no secular courts. China: Massacre in Tiananmen Square (1989) destroyed political liberalization. Moderate reformers pushed out of the government.
Rule of Law
Laws that limit the government in certain ways so that they cannot become authoritarian: -Promotes democracy because it makes sure that the government cannot hold too much power -Obstructs democratic development when governments change the rule of law to give them more power (Putin changes term length and the meaning of "consecutive terms" so that he can stay in power
Why was Russia's transition to democracy much more difficult than India's?
Russia is a rich country struggling to modernize whereas India is a poor country in the process of modernizing. India also began by establishing their economic rules and regulations before their government and Russia did the opposite, which hurt their economy when it began to grow.
Russia and Nigeria- Partially Democratized
Russia: glasnost and perestroika with Gorbachev brought major changes in civil liberties and political rights. Soviet Union collapse led to even more freedoms. Then, under Yeltsin, the freedom of the press restricted and with Putin- elections, but no civil liberties Nigeria: Military coups have interrupted the democratization (1979 civilian government, 1993 military leadership annulled presidential election, 2000 civilian gov.). Nigeria is only partially democratized because of the heavy corruption and religious conflict.
Why is power shifting downward according to Zakaria?
The development of technology is increasing and allowing the spread of ideas to occur more easily, which means that the people have more information and therefore more control over their government
What role do non-state actors, such as MNC's and NGO's play in destabilizing nation-states?
The downside of globalization and democratization: opening up nations to corporations and organizations who destroy borders and create rules for many nations to abide. Countries cannot refuse because they need the help and/or money from NGO's and MNC's to support their democracy and economy. Violent non-state actors are drug cartels or criminal organizations (ISIS) that work with or against government for what they want
What is democratization?
The movement towards a more democratic government
Authoritarian
The rule of one group or person who takes away civil liberties and political rights from its citizens
What is a public good?
a commodity or service that is provided without profit to all members of a society, either by the government or a private individual or organization Ex: can be social service programs, roads, national defense, or human rights
Personalistic Authoritarian
help together by the personality and alliances of the one leader (usually with charismatic legitimacy); there is often not an orderly succession set up, so these can fail once the leader dies Ex: Putin and Russia
What are the various contributing factors to the most recent or "third wave" of democratization?
late 1970s (beginning) - spurred on by the collapse of the Soviet Union - somewhat competitive elections replaced authoritarian rule (occurred at different times for every nation) - growing middle class (reasons discussed earlier) - technology
Single-Party Authoritarian
one political party that rules; very durable since there is an orderly succession of rulers; organization, penetration of society, and unifying beliefs make it easy to recruit and destroy opposition Ex: China, USSR, Mexico (PRI era)
Coordinating Goods
public goods that critically affect the ability of political opponents to coordinate but that have relatively little impact on economic growth Ex: political rights, more general human rights, press freedom, and accessible higher education
What does Zakaria mean by the democratization of violence?
refers to countries being pushed into democracy when they are not stable enough to handle this form of government Ex: the US forcing Iraq and Afghanistan to create democracies when these countries were extremely unstable; causes violence and anger in these countries as a reaction to the political shock
Civil Society
society considered as a community of citizens linked by common interests and activities that are separate of the government
What are some of the preconditions or obstacles countries must overcome to start the democratization process?
talked about in other cards: - Mainly economic development and international environment of democracy - also must overcome corruption
Strategic Coordination
the set of activities that people must engage in to win political power in a given situation Ex: disseminating information, recruiting and organizing opposition members, choosing leaders, and developing a viable strategy to increase the group's power and to influence policy