Three Paradoxes of Democracy

Three Paradoxes of Democracy

1. Consent vs. effectiveness

2. Conflict vs. Consensus

3. Representation vs. Governability

What's effective may not be what is popular

-economic policies are a good example - hyperinflation and other painful unpopular reforms

-even in established democracies you are thinking about getting elected not long term policies

Examples:

* Free trade - job loss

* Terrorism - loss of personal liberties

* Deficit spending - people like low taxes but also like government programs

* Environmental issues

Conflict vs. Consensus: debate needs to happen but shouldn't go too far (need a healthy medium) - people still need to trust and follow their government's decisions

Representation vs. Governability: local interests vs. effective national policy

Is democracy the best system?

Marxism would assert that in a capitalist system - the owners of the means of production control the government...challenges to democracy were fascism and Marxism

Fascism: democracy is too weak and ineffective - need a strong leader to lead the nation to new heights - main proponents defeated in WWII

New enemies? Islamic extremists what people call "Asian Values" - but Asia is a vast area with VERY diverse cultures

SEN - democracy is a universal value (accepted worldwide)...not whether or not you have the right condition, it can work anywhere! Dispels the economics first notion - yes some auth regimes have been fast growing but it can go either way

DEMOCRACY HELPS THE POOR - no famines in democracies...people are allowed to put pressure on their governments

Elklit and Svensson

-freedom is more important than impartiality/fairness

Two aspects of fairness:

Regularity: impartial application of the law (this has to be there)

Reasonableness: securing roughly equal opportunities for exercise of political freedoms - more general and much harder to obtain - no democracy has managed it!

Pre-elections are very important but often overlooked

Problems with assessment:

1. elections observers may disagree on extent to which criteria have been fulfilled- very subjective

2. doesn't indicate relative importance of various points

evaluations have to be considered in context...irregularities resulting from deficits in tech. capacity or experience are less serious than deliberate attempts to manipulate the results...have to reflect the will of the people and can not be considered as an isolate event...instead they must be considered as a part of the democratization process

ALSO...electoral assessment is separate from an analysis of political consequences of that assessment - 2 different types of activities carried out by two different people

Przeworski - is it a democracy or a dictatorship?

Those who govern must be elected through contested elections