Which is the best definition of the word democracy?

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Which is the best definition of the word democracy?

See more synonyms for democracy on Thesaurus.com. noun, plural de·moc·ra·cies. government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.

What is the definition of a defective democracy?

Defective democracy. Defective democracies are democracies with certain defects. The concept was proposed by the political scientists Wolfgang Merkel, Hans-Jürgen Puhle and Aurel S. Croissant at the beginning of the 21st century to subtilize the usual distinction of totalitarian, authoritarian, and democratic political systems.

What are the different types of Democracies?

Types of democracies are classified according to various distinguishing features, including constitutional democracy, democratic socialism, Jeffersonian democracy, liberal democracy, parliamentary democracy, or presidential democracy, to name a few.

What is the difference between freedom and Democracy?

Freedom and democracy are often used interchange- ably, but the two are not synonymous. Democracy is indeed a set of ideas and principles about freedom, but it also consists of practices and procedures that have been molded through a long, often tortuous history. Democracy is the institutionalization of freedom.

Is the equality required by the definition of democracy?

Fourth, the equality required by the definition of democracy may be more or less deep. It may be the mere formal equality of one-person one-vote in an election for representatives to an assembly where there is competition among candidates for the position.

How is the United States a representative democracy?

Democracy in the United States The United States is a representative democracy. This means that our government is elected by citizens. Here, citizens vote for their government officials. These officials represent the citizens’ ideas and concerns in government. Voting is one way to participate in our democracy.

What are the basic principles of a democracy?

Democracy rests upon the principles of majority rule and individual rights. Democracies guard against all-powerful central gov- ernments and decentralize govern- ment to regional and local levels, understanding that all levels of government must be as accessible and responsive to the people as possible.

Where did the idea of democracy come from?

However, the main idea of democracy is widely accepted to have originated from Athens in the 5thcentury BC. The Webster New Encyclopaedic Dictionary (1995) defines democracy as a government in which supreme power is invested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through representation.

Which is the correct definition of government by the people?

noun, plural de·moc·ra·cies. government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.

How does the UN Democracy Index measure democracy?

The index is self-described as intending to measure the state of democracy in 167 countries, of which 166 are sovereign states and 164 are UN member states. The index is based on 60 indicators grouped in five different categories, measuring pluralism, civil liberties and political culture.

Is it possible to defend the concept of democracy?

It is now impossible to defend an antiliberal concept of democracy, and there is no longer any doubt that the so-called “people’s democracies” were dictatorships imposed on peoples by political leaders relying on foreign armies. Democracy is a matter of the free choice of government, not the pursuit of “popular” policies.

What are the rights of citizens in a democracy?

In a democratic setting citizens have the right to be informed of public issues and how they affect them. They have the right to express their opinions and interests openly. They also have the right to know how their political leaders and representatives use their constitutional powers.

How are laws made in a republic and a democracy?

In a pure democracy, laws are made directly by the voting majority leaving the rights of the minority largely unprotected. In a republic, laws are made by representatives chosen the people and must comply with a constitution that specifically protects the rights of the minority from the will of the majority.

What was the first democracy in the world?

Perhaps as a natural outgrowth of Athenian democracy, the first documented representative democracy appeared around 509 BCE in the form of the Roman Republic. While the Roman Republic’s constitution was mostly unwritten and enforced by custom, it outlined a system of checks and balances between the different branches of government.

Which is an example of a parliamentary democracy?

1 A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. ‘a system of parliamentary democracy’ More example sentences

Which is a normative question in the definition of democracy?

So the definition of democracy does not settle any normative questions. Fourth, the equality required by the definition of democracy may be more or less deep. It may be the mere formal equality of one-person one-vote in an election for representatives to an assembly where there is competition among candidates for the position.

How are political scientists looking at the concept of democracy?

Like Judge Hand, political scientists today view democracy as a multidimensional concept and look at more than a country’s leaders, laws, and constitution to assess its health. They also study a variety of other factors, such as a society’s culture and institutions, both of which are created by the people and shaped by history.

What makes a democracy an authentic democracy of our time?

An authentic democracy of our time is anchored in a constitution, a framework for limited government that guarantees the rule of law to protect the political rights of individuals to freedom of speech, press, petition, assembly, and association.

How is modern democracy different from ancient democracy?

Democracy today is very different from its ancestors in antiquity. As in the past, democracy today is a government of, by, and for the people, but modern democracy involves government by the people acting indirectly through their elected representatives, rather than government conducted directly by the people themselves, as in antiquity.

Which is the best definition of the word democracy?

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Which is the best definition of the word democracy?

The word democracy most often refers to a form of government in which people choose leaders by voting. What is a democratic system of government?

What is the philosophical basis of a democracy?

Democracy definition. The philosophical basis of democracy is the correlation of freedom and equality, as social and political values, the real embodiment of which takes place in appropriate state institutions of democracy – direct or representative. The latter is now most common in the form of a rule-of-law state with its supreme power, which,…

What makes a company a democracy or a democracy?

In a democracy, every citizen should have the right to vote. The company is not a democracy; decisions are made by a board of directors, not the workers. There is democracy within the company. Indeed, these efforts aim to engineer volatility to undermine democracy itself.

How does a country call itself a democracy?

Some people assert that a country calling itself a democracy must be engaged in direct (or pure) democracy, in which the people of a state or region vote directly for policies, rather than elect representatives who make choices on their behalf.

noun, plural de·moc·ra·cies. government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. government by the people or their elected representatives

How is democracy a system of competition for power?

I. Democracy as a Political System of Competition for Power Democracy is a means for the people to choose their leaders and to hold their leaders accountable for their policies and their conduct in office. The people decide who will represent them in parliament, and who will head the government at the national and local levels.

Which is an example of a direct democracy?

In a direct democracy, all laws and public policy decisions are made directly by a majority vote of the people, rather than by the votes of their elected representatives. Functionally possible only in small states, Switzerland is the only example of a direct democracy applied on a national level today.

What are the different types of Democracies?

Types of democracies are classified according to various distinguishing features, including constitutional democracy, democratic socialism, Jeffersonian democracy, liberal democracy, parliamentary democracy, or presidential democracy, to name a few.

What is the difference between a republic and a democracy?

However, both democracy and republic have more than a single meaning, and one of the definitions we provide for democracy closely resembles the definition of republic given above: “a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving

How does the rule of law work in a democracy?

Democracy is a system of rule by laws, not by individuals. In a democracy, the rule of law protects the rights of citizens, maintains order, and limits the power of government. All citizens are equal under the law. No one may be discriminated against on the basis of their race, religion, ethnic group, or gender.

A political system that allows the citizens to participate in political decision‐making, or to elect representatives to government bodies. From: democracy in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology »

How is democracy a constant struggle between society and state?

Democratic practice involves a constant struggle between society and State in which society demands some level of the essence of democracy mixed with some level of dictatorship and the State provides what it considers a balanced mixture. Some level of dictatorship is always required as a control function to avoid anarchy.

Which is one of the functions of a democracies?

Democracies understand that oneof their prime functions is to pro-tect such basic human rights asfreedom of speech and religion;the right to equal protection underlaw; and the opportunity to organ-ize and participate fully in thepolitical, economic, and culturallife of society.

What is the role of a citizen in promoting democracy?

In a democracy, citizens are free to choose which party to support. Democracy depends on citizen participation in all these ways. But participation must be peaceful, respectful of the law, and tolerant of the different views of other groups and individuals.

How is the justification of democracy related to the authority of democracy?

It is important to distinguish views concerning the justification of democracy from views concerning the authority of democracy, which we examine in section 3 . Attempts to establish democratic authority identify values or reasons in virtue of which subjects have a duty to obey democratic decisions.

How do you use democracy in a sentence?

de·moc·ra·cy. Use democracy in a sentence. The government of the United States is a form of democracy. noun. The definition of democracy is a form of government in which the common people hold political power and can rule either directly or through elected representatives.

What are the basic principles of a democracy?

Democracy rests upon the principles of majority rule and individual rights. Democracies guard against all-powerful central gov- ernments and decentralize govern- ment to regional and local levels, understanding that all levels of government must be as accessible and responsive to the people as possible.

What was the role of democracy in ancient Greece?

The Greek idea of democracy was different from present-day democracy because, in Athens, all adult citizens were required to take an active part in the government. If they did not fulfill their duty they would be fined and sometimes marked with red paint.

What are the rights of citizens in a democracy?

In a democratic setting citizens have the right to be informed of public issues and how they affect them. They have the right to express their opinions and interests openly. They also have the right to know how their political leaders and representatives use their constitutional powers.

How is the epistemic reliability of democracy explained?

The most prominent explanation for democracy’s epistemic reliability rests on Condorcet’s Jury Theorem (CJT), a mathematical theorem developed by eighteenth-century mathematician the Marquis de Condorcet that builds on the so-called “law of large numbers”.

Which is an argument in favor of democracy?

A related instrumental argument for democracy is provided by Amartya Sen, who argues that no substantial famine has ever occurred in any independent country with a democratic form of government and a relatively free press. (Sen 1999: 152)

What are the basic features of a democracy?

Democracies conduct regular free and fair elections open to citizens of voting age. Citizens in a democracy have not only rights, but also the responsi- bility to participate in the political system that, in turn, protects their rights and free- doms.

How is deliberative democracy different from aggregative democracy?

Deliberative democracy is based on the notion that democracy is government by deliberation. Unlike aggregative democracy, deliberative democracy holds that, for a democratic decision to be legitimate, it must be preceded by authentic deliberation, not merely the aggregation of preferences that occurs in voting.

How is the United States a representative democracy?

The United States is a representative democracy. This means that our government is elected by citizens. Here, citizens vote for their government officials. These officials represent the citizens’ ideas and concerns in government.

Which is the best definition of hypermedia format?

Definition of hypermedia. : a database format similar to hypertext in which text, sound, or video images related to that on a display can be accessed directly from the display.

How are the powers of the majority exercised in a democracy?

In the common variant of liberal democracy the powers of the majority are exercised within the framework of a representative democracy, but the constitution limits the majority and protects the minority, usually through the enjoyment by all of certain individual rights, e.g. freedom of speech, or freedom of association.

How does the government work in a democracy?

The people decide who will represent them in parliament, and who will head the government at the national and local levels. They do so by choosing between competing parties in regular, free and fair elections.

Where did the idea of democracy come from?

However, the main idea of democracy is widely accepted to have originated from Athens in the 5thcentury BC. The Webster New Encyclopaedic Dictionary (1995) defines democracy as a government in which supreme power is invested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through representation.

How does deliberative democracy differ from traditional democracy?

Deliberative democracy differs from traditional democratic theory in that authentic deliberation, not mere voting, is the primary source of a law’s legitimacy. Demarchy is a hypothetical system where government is heavily decentralized into smaller independent groups. Each group is responsible for one or several functions in society.

Which is a characteristic of a representative democracy?

Some representative democracies also incorporate elements of direct democracy, such as referendums. A characteristic of representative democracy is that while the representatives are elected by the people to act in the people’s interest, they retain the freedom to exercise their own judgement as how best to do so.

The word “democracy” comes from two Greek words that mean people (demos) and rule (kratos). Democracy is the idea that the citizens of a country should take an active role in the government of their country and manage it directly or through elected representatives.