THEORIES OF DEMOCRACY

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THEORIES OF DEMOCRACY

• PS 571
• MR DOUG PERKINS

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TODAYS AGENDA

• Administrivia
• Talk about the News
• Dahl
• Rustow
• (Diamond with Dahl on Monday)

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ADMINISTRIVIA

• Yes, we are a day behind, but dont sweat it
• Just move things back a day and lose the movie
• Study Guide on Monday
• Extra Credit Assignments Due 12/7
• See me if you did not get your exam
• See me if you would like help preparing for next
  exam

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POLITICAL NEWS
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DEMOCRATIZATION

• Democratization Two Targets
• Democracy
• Transition
• Need to Know What We are Shooting for
• What is democracy?
• What about America makes it democratic?
• Undemocratic?
• Try to come up with necessary ingredients of
  democracy.
• Lots of disagreements
• Fairness? Equality? Everyone participating?
• But need to agree for the sake of science!

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DAHL ON DEMOCRATIZATION

• Role of Military Organization
• Equality of Killing Capacity
• Lots of People Involved in Defense
• What is the mechanism?
• What is the Moral?
• Would Dahl agree with Charlton Heston?
• Is this why the framers penned the 2nd amendment?
• Military Technology Can Prop up Dictators
• So why recent wave of democratization?

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DAHL ON DEMOCRATIZATION

• Taming Violent Coersion
• Either reduce the military
• Why?!
• Disperse the military
• Why?
• Socialize/civilianize the military
• Through selection mechanism
• Or through indoctrination
• Can Democracy and a Strong Military/Police
  Coexist?

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DAHL OTHER FACTORS

• What Causes Democratization
• Modern Dynamic Pluralist Society
• Fewer concentrations of power
• Disperses power widely
• But Pluralism can Inhibit Democracy, too
• And is not sufficient
• Reinforcing cleavages dangerous
• Consociationalism as a solution
• Beliefs!?
• More people wanting democracy helps
• Role of Culture
• Positive and Negative
• Foreign Influence?

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DAHL PROSPECTS FOR DEMOCRACY IN THE WORLD

• A country is very likely ot develop and sustain
  the institutions of polyarchy
• If the means of violent coercion are dispersed or
  neutralized
• If is possesses and MDP society
• If it is culturally homogeneous
• Or, if it is not segmented
• Or if leaders are consociational
• If it possesses a political culture and beliefs,
  particularly among political activists, that
  support the institutions of polyarchy
• If foreign conditions are supportive of, or at
  least not hostile to, polyarchy

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THINK ABOUT IT

• If you were king, why would you democratize?
• What do YOU think causes democracy?
• This is a question of some importance
• Modernization theory very influential.
• economic and social prerequisites high per
  capita income, literacy, urbanized
• statistically true, but what is the mechanism?
• certain beliefs and psychological attitudes
  (consensus, agreement to differ, empathy,
  participation)
• Problems contrary cases for each (India, Greece,
  US)

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RUSTOW ON DEMOCRATIZATION

• One background condition
• National unity the vast majority of citizens
  must have no doubt as to which political
  community they belong to.
• Democracy is a system of rule by temporary
  majorities. In order that rulers and policies
  may freely change, the boundaries must endure,
  the composition of the citizenry be continuous.
• Think about it! This one is HUGE.
• NOT economic development, social differentiation,
  or education

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RUSTOW ON DEMOCRATIZATION

• Preparatory phase
• The dynamic process of democratization is set off
  by a prolonged and inconclusive struggle.
• Creates well entrenched forces and important
  issues (Lipset and Rokkan)
• Economic development can cause this, but can be
  between religious denominations, or any
  meaningful cleavage with fairly well matched foes.

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RUSTOW ON DEMOCRATIZATION

• Decision Phase
• Democracy comes about as an unintended
  consequence of conflict resolution.
• Lots can go wrong in this phase.
• Quite precarious any change in the relative
  powers of the actors can lead to a breakdown.

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RUSTOW ON DEMOCRATIZATION

• Democratic Consolidation
• the institutionalization of uncertainty
• All politically relevant actors support the rules
  of the game as the only way to play
• A Couple of Mechanisms (Gunther)
• Elite Settlement elites representing all
  politically significant groups meet to negotiate
  a compromise. If some are left out (as is
  usually the case) you get a limited democracy
  that is unconsolidated.
• Elite Convergence Anti-system groups are
  gradually allowed to participate as they moderate
  their demands. They are seen as less
  threatening. New groups must be allowed in to
  the system.
• NOTE Democracy comes about as an unintended
  consequence of conflict resolution.

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RUSTOW ON DEMOCRATIZATION

• Rustow argues that each of these needs to be done
  one at a time.
• What does this mean for Eastern Europe?
• Can a communist system democratize?
• Can a former communist system meet all of Dahl's
  conditions?
• Are there any theoretical reasons why capitalist
  sytems are more likely to democratize? Less
  likely to meet the above conditions?
• What can we do to help?

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