Democracy and Development

DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT
The concept of democracy

Definitions
 According to Aristotle, democracy refers to the rule of many.
 Ripset, 2003, defined democracy as a political system which supply regular
constitution opportunities for changing government.
 The general definition of democracy was defined by Abraham Lincon as the
government by the people of the people and for the people.
The two major pillars that democracy follows:
 Liberty
 Equality
The 2 main categories of democracy
1. Direct or pure democracy
2. Indirect or representative democracy
1. Direct or Pure democracy

 It is a system in which people as a political community come together as a
forum to make decisions themselves.
 Is also a political system in which citizens’ vote in matters of public
concerns and every citizen participate in decision making.
 In a pure democracy every citizen of a certain attends a political meeting
vote on the issue being discussed on that meeting and accept the majority
decision.
The evolution of direct democracy
 The first direct democracy was practiced in Athens the Greek city states
which was said to be the Athenian democracy.
 It worked through three main bodies.
a. Assembly
b. Council of 500 (boule)
c. Law courts
A. The Assembly
 The members of the assembly were all the citizens.
 All major decisions in Athens were made by by the assembly.
 All eligible citizens were allowed to speak and vote in the assembly.
 The assembly made laws in the city state (Athens).
 But in this city states children, women, and citizens below the age of 20
were not regarded as citizens. Only the military trained men were regarded
as citizens and participated in decision making of the assembly.
 No elections were held in the assembly but one was regarded as a citizen by
qualification.
 Decisions in the assembly were taken in the majority vote and then became a
law and voting was by simple majority.
 Voting was usually was show of hands with officials judging the outcomes
by side, no secret ballot.
 There were no political parties and no governing or ruling party.
 The assembly met 40 times in a year and 4 times per month.
B. The council of 500 (boule)
 The council consist of 500 members.
 In Athens there were 10 tribes and each tribe sends 50 members which were
selected by lot.
 All the 50 councilors from each tribe were the presidents and among the 50
only 1 was chosen to be the chairperson.
The roles of the council 500
 The council was an advisory body of the Athenians democracy.
 The council was mandated to manage the agenda of the assembly.
 The council was responsible for the management of public finance.
 The council was charged with responsibility for meeting foreign officials.
C. The law courts
 Athens had an elaborate legal system centered on full citizens’ rights.
 The authority exercised by the courts had the same basis as that of the
assembly.
 Both were regarded by expressing the direct will of the people.
The instruments or institutions of direct democracy

1) Referendum
2) Initiative
3) Plebiscite
4) Recall
Referendum
 Is a tool by which a citizen of the nation, i.e. electorate declare their choice
about a decision.
 It may also be a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked together
reject or accept a particular proposal.
E.g. the adoption of a new law or change in the existing policy in existing
constitution.
 Government puts a specific question to the people so that the people can
debate on it.
 There is also imperative that during referendum there is no election of
people but particular people decide for the particular issue.
 The legislative cannot decide for the entire population but the power to
decide whom to vote for themselves.
 The electorate has a task to decide on whether to return one party system of
government or to adopt a multiparty system of government.
 Referendum can be there when there is a change in the following:
 National flag
 National sovereignty
 Supremacy of the constitution and other departments.
 Referendum falls into two categories
o Mandatory or obligatory referendum
Mandatory referendum is the vote of electorate or voters as provided by
the constitution of a country.
The consequences of mandatory referendum are usually binding.
o Optional referendum
This type of referendum the consequences of the vote may or may not be
binding.
Recall
 It is an instrument by which a specified number of citizens can demand a
vote of the electorate on whether an elected holder of public office should be
removed from that office before the end of his/her term.
 It is a least common form of direct democracy.
 Malawi ever had a recall provision.
Plebiscite
Initiative
2. Indirect or representative democracy

 It is a form of democracy in which people do not rule through elected
representatives, (roskin, et al, 2003).
 The voices of citizens are heard mainly directly to their elected
representatives, such as MPs, councilors or members of the national
assembly.
Characteristics
I. Adult universal suffrage
 This means that all adult citizens in a state has the right to vote.
However the minimum age of voting requirements valley from
country to country.
II. Free, fair and periodic elections
 In representative democracy elections are from rigging and they are
also fair.
 It also requires that elections should be heard periodically after a fixed
time interval.
NOTE: Not every election equals democracy but there is democracy without
election. So these two concept are:
a) Substantive
b) Procedural
 Popular accountability of the government, as in a real government leaders

are answerable to their citizens.
III. Political competition
 It requires that voters should have a choice either by candidate or a
political party.
 This implies that a minimum of one party or a candidate means that
election is direct.
Models of representation
 The trustee model
 The delegate model
a.The trustee model
 A model of how should people understand the role of representatives.
 This model looks at the representatives as mere trustees.
 These trustees has sufficient autonomy to deliberate and act in favor of
greater common good and the national interest even if it means going against
the short term interest of their constituencies.
 The model was proposed by Edmund Burke, (1729-1797), and he was an
Irish MP.
 He argued that the behavior of MPs must be formed by his/her knowledge
and experience allowing them to serve the public interest.
 In century a trustee considers an issue after hearing all signs of debate that
he/she exercises his/her own judgment in making decisions on what should
be done.
Merit of trustee model—provides a solution of a problem of an informed
constituency that luck issue or knowledge in order for them to an educated
position.
b. Delegate model
 A constituency elect their representatives as delegates for their constituency.
 In this case the delegate acts as a mouthpiece for the wishes of their
constituency and has no autonomy from their constituency.
Merit of delegate model—representatives acts as the voice of those who are not
present.
--This model does not provide the representatives of the lexically in their on
constituency.

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DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT

The concept of democracy

1. Direct or Pure democracy

The instruments or institutions of direct democracy

2. Indirect or representative democracy

 Popular accountability of the government, as in a real government leaders

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