Civil Society : A Necessary Condition For Democratization

We know that democracies are common among the economically urbanized countries and rare between the very deprived ones. The reason we scrutinize this pattern is not that democracies are more probable to emerge, as a result, of economic development but that they are to a large extent more possible to survive if they occur to emerge in most urbanized countries. The paths to democracy are diverse. Indeed, they appear to follow no unsurprising pattern. But once democracy is conventional, for whatever reasons, its endurance depends on a few, easily particular, factors.

Civil societies are voluntary social institutions and organizations that are separate from the government and the market where a community of citizens are able to come together and pursue their shared common interest. They are beneficial to the community as well as the broader society as civil societies ultimately promote progressive policies, nurture positive social norms that encourage stability, and advocates accountability and checks against state authority (Edwards 2010). Moreover, civil societies represent a third sphere of association where citizens are able to address the deficiencies that the state and market fail to handle and then have the opportunity to develop their own

Public opinion plays a huge role in the development of democracy. “A society is unlikely to maintain democratic institutions over the long term, unless democracy has solid support among the public” (Andersen 2012). Most research on the issue demonstrates a positive link between economic development and support for democracy(Andersen 2012). Some researchers also consider social trust (Putnam 1993) and social tolerance (Andersen and Fetner 2008) to be a major factor of support of democracy. Most Americans see unequal economy as a result of individuals work ethics and talent rather then a flaw in the economic system. However, most Americans accept inequality because they believe everyone has the same chances in life to make the best. A properly running government is supposed to make positive that all the citizen are equal. By believing in equal democratic rights Americans support everyone citizen having the same level of equality and the same equal voice in representative government. Since citizens don’t feel that they can trust the government to create and equal ground for all they are much less likely to be involve and participate in political field. Concerned citizens have the right to be worried about the health of our democracy. It seems that the government resounds more often and effectively to the more privileged group in society then to needs of the

When determining what designs and creates a democracy we look at what makes up its economy, what is the role of a citizen in that state or what defines a citizen, and how government should be acting in this democracy. This is what Lia and Hanauer did when they wrote the Gardens of Democracy, this descriptive book brings forth an idea that sees society as a garden which needs active tending and sustainability to better improve its situation. With the right gardeners and setting the garden will be able to prosper and adapt into the most suitable environment. The authors use this metaphor of a garden to describe that society needs citizens and government to tend to, that there needs to be an active role for government to provide citizens with

"What is the source of this thrust toward exclusion? We might put it this way: Democracy is inclusive because it is the government of all the people; but paradoxically, this is also the reason that democracy tends toward exclusion. The exclusion is a by-product of the need, in self-governing societies, of a high degree of cohesion. Democratic states need something like a common identity"(Taylor). For Taylor, Recognition is a vital human necessity, that we obtain through intercommunication. Without interacting with others, humanity could not exist, because it is through talking and working together that our identity becomes constructed. Therefore, recognition is essential in both a society and community level. The problem with this procedure,

Social capital also can also improve voter turnout and representation. The more socialized a voter is, the more likely they are to vote. It is also important

The impact of social capital theories on methods of politics, economics, and social issues was largely unprecedented when Robert Putnam conducted his research in Italy in the 70’s and 80’s and published Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy. It has since been greeted with both endorsement and disapproval, with equal validations for both sides. Authors Filippo Sabetti, The Search for Good Government: Understanding the Paradox of Italian Democracy, and Shari Berman, “Civil Society and the Collapse of the Weimar Republic”, agree that Putnam’s research was flawed, rendering his argument unsound. At a very basic level, Putnam’s argument can be surmised as believing “social context and history profoundly condition the effectiveness

In his famous book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, Robert Putnam charted the decline in social capital and social institutions since the 1950s while arguing that a vibrant and successful democracy ultimately requires significant engagement from a wide segment of its population. This argument was something that even concerned Tocqueville (2006) regarding the American Experiment. Tocqueville marveled in the strengths of organizations such as the church in America. However, he also warned that the importance of individualism within American society could serve as its own downfall. This is the case that Putnam makes in his book.

Social Capital is defined as the networks of relationships among people, enabling that society to function effectively. James Coleman’s “Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital” examines the many benefits of social capital in a society. However, most forms of social capital are public goods and do not primarily profit the person who has to bring it about. Therefore, it’s not in his interest to bring it leading to a shortage. Coleman wants to apply economics’s principle of rational action to the social perspective to increase people’s willingness to socialize. On the other hand, Alejandro Portes’s “The Two Meanings of Social Capital” challenges Coleman’s concept by arguing that people shouldn’t

Transitioning the political institution usually starts from a position of high autonomy and high capacity, a system without any checks. A new government will out to be outlined. This will include the establishment of a constitution that outlines person freedoms. Judicial, executive and legislative systems need to be implemented. Governance around elections and parties must be established. The US based, Freedom House ranking ranks democracy based on different criteria, including electoral competition, freedom of speech/assembly, rule of law, levels of corruptions and protection of human rights. This

People have been separated by social group and financial classes for years, creating inequalities that push people farther apart. Income inequality is one of the biggest concerns of today; according to recent Census Bureau data, the 25% highest income families receive 40% of U.S. income and the 25% lowest income families earn 9.64%. Furthermore, to couple with the issue of income disparity, is the realization that wealth disparity is even greater. The low level of education standards, lacking sense of security and crime rates are higher near the lowest income families. When seeing this information, a connection can be made between these social changes and the income and wealth inequality, consider this connection being between social capital and socioeconomics.

Karl Mannheim claimed that the earliest stage of democracy was focused on freedom and rationality. However, with a shift to mass politics, he claimed that it could lead to a dictatorship. Due to “urbanization, transportation, and the mass media,” the lower class could enter the political sphere (Colins and Makowsky 207). However, it had a negative effect because politics could no longer be considered intellectual, but based on the emotions of the lower class. Thus, instead of solutions based on reason for a problem, the solutions were “simplistic” (Colins and Makowsky 207). Another threat to democracy was interdependency. The government, transportation, and media become centralized and it brings a large amount of people together. Thus, when there is either a conflict or crisis everyone is affected. Lastly, a concentration of power can threaten democracy. When there is a concentration of power, the

Societies can be, by definition, small associations of like minded individuals with narrow aims or large nations with broad, diverse aims. Dewey offers two standards which can be applied to assess the value of a society: How numerous and varied are the interests which are consciously shared? How full and free is the interplay with other forms of association? By applying these two questions, the natural conclusion of the ideal society is democratic, that is to say one that offers its citizens the freedom of expression and communication. If a democracy represents an ideal society that presents the maximum number of common interests and the maximum opportunities for association with other societies, then it also represents the ideal society in its potential for growth.

one essential conviction, expressed in the word democracy itself: that power should be in the hands of the people. Although democracy today has been slightly inefficient in this idea, with the wealthy, elite class challenging this right, “it nevertheless claims for itself a fundamental validity that no other kind of society shares….” To completely understand the structure of democracy, one must return to the roots of the practice itself, and examine the origins in ancient Greece, the expansion in the Roman Empire, and how these practices combined make what we recognize as today’s democratic government.

Additionally, in more precarious democratic governments such as India’s, peoples right to power is still recognized. Ronojoy Sen remarks of India’s 2009 elections that, “a handful of successful professionals and entrepreneurs even ran”(cite). Despite implying that only successful peoples were exercising their liberties, elucidated in this article is the potential of any citizen to attain political power, demonstrating true liberal democracy in its purest form. Communism does not give its people these liberties, the party is the “agent for creating political development” (Janos, pg. 2) and there is little need for elections as the outcome is pre-determined. In the case of Nazism, while Hitler utilised democracy to attain power, once in control democracy was replaced with autocracy.