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Outline of the Process of Democratization

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Introduction Democracy is very prominent around the world, with a majority of countries in the world being democratic. Just because it is widespread may not mean it is always the best method of politics to be practiced. Even though democracy has been widespread and successful, there are still many challenges to democracy today. The appeal of competitive elections and a focus on human rights makes democracy an attractive system of government, but due to the time and effort required for a nation to become democratic it proves to be a lot more difficult than anticipated. This paper will outline the process of democratization, how it is practiced throughout the world, and the challenges it faces and may continue to face in the future.
What Democracy Means A dictionary will describe democracy as a government by the whole population, usually through elected representatives; a government that favors social equality (Oxford Dictionary, 1997, pg.194). A political science textbook may define democracy as, “ (a) political system based on the principle that governance requires the assent of all citizens through participation in the electoral process, articulation of views, and direct or indirect representation in governing institutions” (Maclean & Wood, 2014, pg.415). One large problem that stands out in both these definitions that will be discussed more thoroughly later on, is the emphasis on the whole population or citizens. In theory, democracy is defined by the inclusion of all

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