Premium Essay

Exploring Democracy, Democratic Consolidation and Democratisation

In:

Submitted By Hamzlee
Words 3633
Pages 15
The essence of this essay is to explore democracy, democratic consolidation and democratization. It further explains why democratization takes different ‘flight trajectories’ in different developing countries.

It is difficult to reach a consensus on the definition of democracy. However, the main idea of democracy is widely accepted to have originated from Athens in the 5th century BC. The Webster New Encyclopedic Dictionary (1995) defines democracy as a government in which supreme power is invested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through representation. According to Lindel, and Scott (1999), the term originates from the Greek word (demokratia) which simply means “rule of the people” and it was coined from (demos) “people” and (kratos) “power” or “rule” in the 5th century B.C. It is important to note that the political system postulated by the Athenians was such that democratic citizenship was exclusive to an elite class of free men only. Slaves and women were excluded from participation.

Furthermore, in a lecture titled “What is Democracy”? Diamond (2004) gave an overview of what in his opinion is democracy. He describes democracy as a system of government with four key elements: a system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections; active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life; protection of the human rights of all citizens; and a rule of law in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens. Popper as cited in Javie (2006) defines democracy in contrast to dictatorship or tyranny. He places emphasis on the availability of opportunities for the people to control their leaders and to them without recourse to a revolution. Popper’s view must have hinged on the fact that there are many variants of democracy today. The most dominant variable is what he terms the

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

The Relationship Between Electoral Process and Stability in Nigeria

...Nigeria’s democracy. Elections in Nigeria continue to elicit more than casual interest by Nigerian scholars due to the fact that despite the appreciation that only credible election can consolidate and sustain the country’s nascent democracy, over the years, Nigeria continues to witness with growing disappointments and apprehension inability to conduct peaceful, free and fair, open elections whose results are widely accepted and respected across the country (Ekweremadu, 2011). All the elections that have ever been conducted in Nigeria since independence have generated increasingly bitter controversies and grievances on a national scale because of the twin problems of mass violence and fraud that have become central elements of the history of elections and of the electoral process in the country (Gberie, 2011). Despite the marked improvement in the conduct of the 2011 elections, the process was not free from malpractices and violence (National Democratic Institute, 2012). Thus over the years, electoral processes in the history of Nigeria’s democratic governance have continued to be marred by extraordinary display of rigging, dodgy, “do or die” affair, ballot snatching at gun points, violence and acrimony, thuggery, boycotts, threats and criminal manipulations of voters' list, brazen falsification of election results, the use of security agencies against political opponents and the intimidation of voters (Bekoe, 2011). Despite the vital place that election holds in democracy in this...

Words: 23070 - Pages: 93

Free Essay

Conflict Analysis and Resolution

...Master Thesis Ethnic Conflicts and Transition to Democracy in Africa: Recurrence of Ethnic Conflicts in Kenya (1991-2008) Author: Berita Musau Matrikelnummer: 0601567 Academic degree aspired Master (M.A) Vienna, August, 2008 Studienkennzahl: A 067 805 Studienrichtung: Global Studies - a European Perspective Advisor: Prof. Dr. Walter Schicho Table of Contents Dedication ……………………………………………………………………. iii Acknowledgment …………………………………………………………….. iv List of Acronyms …………………………………………………………….. v List of Tables and figures …………………………………………………….. vii Abstract in English …………………………………………………………… viii Abstract in German …………………………………………………………... ix Chapter One: Introduction ………………………………………………… 1 1.1. Introduction …………………………………………………………… 1 1.2. Problem statement …………………………………………………….. 2 1.3. Aim and objectives of the research …………………………………… 4 1.4. Research questions and hypotheses …………………………………... 7 Chapter Two: Literature review and theoretical framework ……………. 8 2.1. Literature review ……………………………………………………… 8 2.2. Transition to democracy and ethnic conflicts in Africa ………………. 12 2.3. Definition of concepts ………………………………………………… 16 2.4. Theoretical framework for analysis of ethnic conflicts ……………….. 18 2.4. Research methodology ………………………………………………... 21 2.5. Significance of the research …………………………………………... 23 Chapter Three: Background to the struggle for democracy and ethnic conflicts in Kenya……………………………………………………………. 24 3.1. A short retrospect in to Kenya’s colonial...

Words: 37621 - Pages: 151

Premium Essay

Case

...CoNTE j\:\PORA.R'f Contents Foreword Preface iii v Chapter 1 The Cold War Era 1 Chapter 2 The End of Bipolarity 17 Chapter 3 US Hegemony in World Politics 31 Chapter 4 Alternative Centres of Power 51 Chapter 5 Contemporary South Asia 65 Chapter 6 International Organisations 81 Chapter 7 Security in the Contemporary World 99 Chapter 8 Environment and Natural Resources 117 Chapter 9 Globalisation 135 Chapter 1 The Cold War Era OVERVIEW This chapter provides a backdrop to the entire book. The end of the Cold War is usually seen as the beginning of the contemporary era in world politics which is the subject matter of this book. It is, therefore, appropriate that we begin the story with a discussion of the Cold War. The chapter shows how the dominance of two superpowers, the United States of America and the Soviet Union, was central to the Cold War. It tracks the various arenas of the Cold War in different parts of the world. The chapter views the NonAligned Movement (NAM) as a challenge to the dominance of the two superpowers and describes the attempts by the non-aligned countries to establish a New International Economic Order (NIEO) as a means of attaining economic development and political independence. It concludes with an assessment of India’s role in NAM and asks how successful the policy of nonalignment has been in protecting India’s interests. The end of the Second...

Words: 52386 - Pages: 210

Premium Essay

Closing the Gap

...Justice Via di Torre Argentina 76, I-00186, Roma, Italy www.npwj.org Permission to reproduce and distribute this document is hereby granted provided that this notice is retained on all copies, that copies are not altered and that No Peace Without Justice is credited. This publication is also available at www.npwj.org. No Peace Without Justice is an international non-profit organisation founded by Emma Bonino and born of a 1993 campaign of the Transnational Radical Party that works for the protection and promotion of human rights, democracy, the rule of law and international justice. NPWJ undertakes its work within three main thematic programs: International Criminal Justice; Female Genital Mutilation; and Middle East and North Africa Democracy, including specific work on Iraq. NPWJ is a Member of the TRP Senate, a Member of the Steering Committee of the NGO Coalition for the International Criminal Court and the Italian civil society partner in the Democracy Assistance Dialogue. This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of No Peace Without Justice and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union. Overall editing of this report was done by Alison Smith. The draft report was prepared by Sylvia de Bertodano, Joanna Evans, Nicole Fritz and Michael Gibb. Design and production by Rebus, Paris Alison Smith is the Legal Counsel and Coordinator of the International Criminal...

Words: 86821 - Pages: 348

Premium Essay

Negotiation

...MEGATRENDS UNDERPINNING TOURISM TO 2020 Analysis of key drivers for change Larry Dwyer, Deborah Edwards, Nina Mistilis, Carolina Roman, Noel Scott and Chris Cooper Analysis of Key Drivers for Change Technical Reports The technical report series present data and its analysis, meta-studies and conceptual studies, and are considered to be of value to industry, government and researchers. Unlike the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre’s Monograph series, these reports have not been subjected to an external peer review process. As such, the scientific accuracy and merit of the research reported here is the responsibility of the authors, who should be contacted for clarification of any content. Author contact details are at the back of this report. National Library of Australia Cataloguing in Publication Data Dwyer, Larry. Megatrends underpinning tourism to 2020: analysis of key drivers for change. Bibliography. ISBN 9781920965525. 1. Tourism - Economic aspects - Australia. 2. Tourism - Social aspects - Australia. 3. Tourism - Political aspects - Australia. 4. Tourism - Environmental aspects - Australia. 5. Tourism - Australia. I. Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism. II. Title. 338.47910994 Copyright © CRC for Sustainable Tourism Pty Ltd 2008 All rights reserved. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this book may be reproduced by any process without...

Words: 40109 - Pages: 161

Free Essay

Khoabnamap Study About Religion

...IN CONTEMPORARY SOUTHEAST ASIA ISLAMIC STUDIES AND ISLAMIC EDUCATION i ii IN CONTEMPORARY SOUTHEAST ASIA ISLAMIC STUDIES AND ISLAMIC EDUCATION Editors KAMARUZZAMAN BUSTAMAM-AHMAD PATRICK JORY YAYASAN ILMUWAN iii Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia Cataloguing-In-Publication Data Islamic studies and Islamic education in contemporary Southeast Asia / editors: Kamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad, Patrick Jory ISBN 978-983-44372-3-7 (pbk.) 1. Islamic religious education--Southeast Asia. 2. Islam--Education--Southeast Asia. I. Kamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad. II. Jory, Patrick. 297.77 First Printed 2011 © 2011 Kamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad & Patrick Jory Publisher: Yayasan Ilmuwan D-0-3A, Setiawangsa Business Suites, Taman Setiawangsa, 54200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means – for example, electronic, photocopy, recording – without prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed review. The opinions expressed in this publication is the personal views of the authors, and do not necessary reflect the opinion of the publisher. Layout and cover design: Font: Font size: Printer: Hafizuldin bin Satar Goudy Old Style 11 pt Gemilang Press Sdn Bhd iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS T his book grew out of a three-day workshop jointly held by the Regional Studies Program, Walailak University, and the Department...

Words: 104903 - Pages: 420

Premium Essay

Sales

...CHAPTER 2 Strategic human resource management Nicky Golding OBJECTIVES To indicate the significance of the business context in developing an understanding of the meaning and application of SHRM. To analyse the relationship between strategic management and SHRM. To examine the different approaches to SHRM, including: – The best-fit approach to SHRM – The configurational approach to SHRM – The resource-based view of SHRM – The best-practice approach to SHRM. To evaluate the relationship between SHRM and organisational performance. To present a number of activities and case studies that will facilitate readers’ understanding of the nature and complexity of the SHRM debate, and enable them to apply their knowledge and understanding. Introduction to strategic human resouce management This chapter charts the development of strategic human resource management. It assumes a certain familiarity with the evolution of HRM, early HRM models and frameworks and their theoretical underpinning as discussed in Chapter 1. The aim of this chapter is to provide a challenging and critical analysis of the strategic human resource management literature, so that you will be able to understand the synthesis both within and between strategic human resource management and strategic management in its various forms. Since the early 1980s when human resource management arrived on the managerial agenda, there has been considerable debate concerning its nature and its value to organisations. From...

Words: 70707 - Pages: 283

Premium Essay

Cornalcornalcornal

...Contemporary Developments in Business and Management Kenneth Fee The University of Sunderland © 2013 The University of Sunderland First published September 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without permission of the copyright owner. While every effort has been made to ensure that references to websites are correct at time of going to press, the world wide web is a constantly changing environment and the University of Sunderland cannot accept any responsibility for any changes to addresses. The University of Sunderland acknowledges product, service and company names referred to in this publication, many of which are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks. All materials internally quality assessed by the University of Sunderland and reviewed by academics external to the University. Instructional design and publishing project management by Wordhouse Ltd, Reading, UK. Contents Introduction vii Unit 1 The contemporary world of business and management Introduction 1.1 1.2 The global business environment The importance of developments in the global environment Case Study 1.3 Organisational decision making and performance vii 1 3 10 14 17 19 19 20 Self-assessment questions Feedback on self-assessment questions Summary Unit 2 Globalisation Introduction 2...

Words: 84990 - Pages: 340

Free Essay

Thesis

...[pic] Frank G. Madsen Queens’ College University of Cambridge International Monetary Flows of Non-Declared Origin This dissertation is submitted to the University of Cambridge to Fulfil the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy April 2008 Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Effetti del Buon Governo Siena, Palazzo Pubblico Sala dei Nove 1337-1340 Declaration This dissertation is the result of my own work and includes nothing, which is the outcome of work done in collaboration. Chapter 3, “Complexity, TOC and Terrorism”, was presented in an embryonic form at the ISA conference in Chicago, USA, March 2007. Chapter 4, “Organised Crime”, is the further elaboration of a chapter of the same title published in 2007 in the Oxford Handbook on the United Nations Statement of Length The dissertation does not exceed the word limit of 80,000 words Fieldwork Thailand (money laundering); Indonesia and Burma (deforestation); New York (US money supply); Washington DC and Fort Worth, Texas (Organised Crime linked to terrorist funding); Australia (Sydney, (APG) and Canberra (money laundering, South Pacific); and Rome, Italy (Chinese organised crime). Contact Frank.Madsen@cantab.net Abstract Through an analysis of the presence and nature of international monetary flows of non-declared origin and their relation to deviant knowledge, the thesis...

Words: 99119 - Pages: 397

Premium Essay

Differing Perspectiveson Quality

...THESIS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Six Sigma Management Action research with some contributions to theories and methods PETER CRONEMYR Division of Quality Sciences Department of Technology Management and Economics CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Göteborg, Sweden (2007) They wanted me to be respected as A doctor or a lawyer man But I had other plans Gonna be a rock ‘n’ roll singer Gonna be a rock ‘n’ roll star AC/DC - Rock ‘n’ Roll Singer Young/Young/Scott 1975 No matter what Quality will keep on rockin’ The Rock Stars of Quality Debbie Phillips-Donaldson, editor Quality Progress, July 2005 Six Sigma Management Action research with some contributions to theories and methods Peter Cronemyr Copyright © Peter Cronemyr (2007) ISBN 978-91-7385-021-6 Doktorsavhandlingar vid Chalmers tekniska högskola Ny serie nr 2702 ISSN: 0346-718X Published and distributed by: Division of Quality Sciences CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY S-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden Telephone: +46 (0)31 772 10 00 Printed at: Chalmers Reproservice Göteborg, Sweden Thesis Shortcuts Six Sigma A short introduction Go directly to Chapter 3.1 on page 47 Action Research Methodology Go directly to Chapter 2.2 on page 28 The Author Background and motives Go directly to Chapter 1.2 on page 15 Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB The Case Company Go directly to Appendix A, Chapter 2.1 on page A-3 The Conclusions of the Thesis Go directly to Chapter 5 on page 89 ...

Words: 98155 - Pages: 393

Premium Essay

Future of Technology

...THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY OTHER ECONOMIST BOOKS Guide to Analysing Companies Guide to Business Modelling Guide to Business Planning Guide to Economic Indicators Guide to the European Union Guide to Financial Markets Guide to Management Ideas Numbers Guide Style Guide Dictionary of Business Dictionary of Economics International Dictionary of Finance Brands and Branding Business Consulting Business Ethics Business Strategy China’s Stockmarket Globalisation Headhunters and How to Use Them Successful Mergers Wall Street Essential Director Essential Economics Essential Finance Essential Internet Essential Investment Essential Negotiation Pocket World in Figures THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY THE ECONOMIST IN ASSOCIATION WITH PROFILE BOOKS LTD Published by Profile Books Ltd 3a Exmouth House, Pine Street, London ec1r 0jh Copyright © The Economist Newspaper Ltd 2005 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book. The greatest care has been taken in compiling this book. However, no responsibility can be accepted by the publishers or compilers for the accuracy of the information presented. Where opinion is expressed it is that of the author and does not necessarily...

Words: 128899 - Pages: 516