Theories of democracy
Economic theory
Social capital theory
Models of democracy
Key features
Direct participation of citizens in legislative and judicial
functions
Assembly of citizens has sovereign power
The scope of sovereign power include all common affairs
of the city
Multiple methods of selection of officers (direct election,
lot, rotation)
No distinction of privilege to differentiate ordinary citizens
and public officials
An individual cannot hold the same office twice (except
military)
Short office term
Payment for public service
General conditions
Republican democracy
Republicanism
An idea of self-government in Renaissance Italy in 17th, 18th centuries
Virtuous citizens and civic restraints as basis of civic life or political
community
A sense of public or political liberty as the right of the people to share
in the government
Power and legislature from despots to peoples
Protective republicanism
Emerged in the late 11th and continued through 15th centuries in Italy
City-republics in florence, padua, pisa, milan
Appointed consuls or administrators to run judicial affairs in definace to
the papal and imperial authorities
Principles of justification
Political participation as an essential condition of personal liberty, if
citizens do not rule themselves, they will be dominated by others
Protective republicanism
Key features
Balance of power between the people, aristocracy and
monarchy
Citizen participation through election of consuls or ruling
councils
Competing social groups promoting and defending their
interests
Liberties of speech, expression and association
Rule of law
General conditions
Small city community, religious basis, independent
artisans and traders, exclusion of women, labourers in politics,
intensive conflict over rival political association
Developmental Republicanism
Based on Rousseau's idea of social contract
Principle of justification
Citizens must enjoy political and economic equality on order that
nobody can be master of another and all can enjoy equal freedom and
development in the process of self-determination for the common good
Key features
Division of legislative and executive functions
Direct participation of citizens to constitute the legislature
Unanimity on public issues is desired, but majority decision in the case
of disagreement
Excusive position in the hands of magistrates
Executive appointed by election or lot
General conditions
Liberal democracy
Tradition of thought:
Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, James Madison, J. Bentham, J Mills, Adam
Smith
Key features
Sovereignty ultimately lies with the people but is vested in
representatives who can legitimately exercise it
Regular elections, secret ballot, factional competition, potential
leaders or parties, and majority rule are foundational basis for
accountability
State power is impersonal, legally restricted and divided among
various branches of governments
Centrality of constitutionalism to guarantee freedom and prevent
arbitrary rule, political equality and civil rights and liberties of free
speech, expression, association, voting and belief
Separation of state from civil society- non-interference of state in
citizens civil life
Competing power centers and interest groups
General conditions
Key features
General conditions
Independence civil society with minimum state
intervention
Competitive market economy
Private possession and control of the means of
production
Political emancipation of women, but
preservation of traditional division of labour
Nation-state system with developed relations
key features
Socialism Communism
Commune/council regulated structure
self regulations by all
Personnel are mandated by community
collective governance
Personnel are paid no more than workers wage
administration by
rotation
Peoples militia to maintain law
self-monitor replaces armies
General conditions
Key features
General conditions
Industrial society
Fragmented socially and politically
Culture of political tolerance
Technically trained experts