...WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? Andrew Heywood The origins of the term 'democracy' can be traced back to Ancient Greece. Like other words ending in 'cracy' - autocracy, aristocracy, bureaucracy and so on -democracy is derived from the Greek word kratos, meaning 'power' or 'rule'. Democracy thus stands for 'rule by the demos', demos meaning 'the people', though it was originally taken to imply 'the poor' or 'the many'. However, the simple notion of 'rule by the people' does not get us very far. The problem with democracy has been its very popularity, a popularity that has threatened the term's undoing as a meaningful political concept. In being almost universally regarded as a 'good thing', democracy has come to used as little more than a 'hurrah! word', implying approval of a particular set of ideas or system of rule. Perhaps a more helpful starting point from which to consider the nature of democracy is provided by Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, delivered in 1864 at the height of the American Civil War. Lincoln extolled the virtues of what he called 'government of the people, by the people, and for the people'. What this makes clear is that democracy serves to link government to the people, but that this link can be forged in a number of ways - government of, by and for the people. Nevertheless, the precise nature of democratic rule has been the subject of fierce ideological and political debate. The next section will look at alternative models of democracy. For the...
Words: 1978 - Pages: 8
...Should referendums be more widely used in the UK? Referendums are a type of direct democracy used in Britain that involve the public directly voting on a single issue in order to make a political decision. This essay will argue that referendums shouldn’t be more widely used in the UK. Many may argue that referendums should be more widely used in the UK because they are a pure form of direct democracy originating from Ancient Greece; they allow the people to rule and make decisions for themselves. A recent example of this is the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence, which allowed Scotland’s people to choose whether they wanted to remain part of the UK. However, according to the British constitution and the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty, referendums cannot be binding. So, in theory, if the result of this referendum had been “yes”, David Cameron has the authority to go against it— no matter how unlikely Cameron actually doing this is. Even if the people vote with an overwhelming majority on an issue, parliament always has the authority to overrule the referendum’s result thus making them much l ess useful a tool in democracy and wider use of them much less advisable. Others might insist that higher usage of referendums would improve political participation in Britain, as is the case in California, where citizen- initiated referendums (or “propositions” as there are known in the US) are held regularly to help make political decisions...
Words: 658 - Pages: 3
...25 marker Should referendums be more widely used in the UK? A referendum is a popular vote where the people are asked to determine an important political or constitutional issue directly. They have a yes or no answer so the result isn’t indecisive. A relatively recent example of a referendum in the UK was the ‘adoption of the Alternative Vote for UK general elections’ in 2011. The turnout of this referendum was 32.1% yes and 67.9 no. Referendums are held because of the concern with important constitutional changes or amendments. They are used as a way to entrench a change, whatever the outcome of the referendum the new governments and parliaments will not be able to reverse the changes unless they consult the people again; the changes will become permanent. There are many benefits to using referendums more widely in the UK. Firstly because the public’s views on a particular question are clearly represented. It helps to make decisions legitimate and confirms the principle of government by consent. An example of this would be the Northern Ireland Good Friday agreement in 1998. Where the referendum was massively important, and too succeeds it needed a widespread and clear support from most of the community. The ‘yes’ vote was over 70% and was therefore crucial. Using more referendums in the UK could also prevent the governments from making unpopular decisions. There are many positives to why we should use referendums more widely just like there are negatives. Some may...
Words: 440 - Pages: 2
...The referendum has its origins in direct democracy, and can therefore be dated back to the 5th Century BC in the Greek city state of Athens. The concept of a referendum has changed and developed in line with democracy and can now be found in a number of differing forms throughout the developed world. A referendum is broadly defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “a general vote by the electorate on a single political question”; however this definition fails to make distinctions between the many types of referendum which exist, or the modern day importance of referendums. In an initial classification there are three types of referendum as defined by the Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia. Obligatory referendums; which are required by law, optional referendums; which are put on the ballot when a sufficient number of voters sign a petition demanding that a law passed by the legislature be ratified by the people, and voluntary referendums; when legislatures submit to voters to decide an issue or to test public opinion. In the majority of political systems across the world we are witnessing a worrying downward trend in voter turnout. This can be attributed to a number of causes including; partisan dealignment, disenchantment with the political system and indifference to politics. Referendums can be used to help promote political participation by enabling the electorate to become better educated and informed and therefore reduce the feeling of alienation. By providing people with...
Words: 860 - Pages: 4
...Edexcel: Government & Politics, Unit 1, Pressure Groups Pressure Groups Definition: “an organisation which seeks to influence a comparatively small range of public policies and which is not attributed to a recognized political party.” Function of Pressure Groups Governing process: they play a key role in the governing process. They are involved in all stages of the policy making process, ensuring the interests of the public are taken into account. Representative function: they either represent; Sections of the public The interests of the general public. (They claim) Educative function: they help to educate/inform the public and the government about politically important issues. Opportunities: they provide more opportunity for political participation than parties do. Scrutinize: they often scrutinize legislation, giving suggestions on how it may be improved. Tension release: pressure groups provide an outlet for people’s emotions, particularly if they are strong ones about certain issues (for example, the Iraq war, dog hunting etc.) This is a highly important function, as it helps maintain a peaceful society, as people can channel their emotions in a non-violent way. Types of Pressure Group Insider: a pressure group that has strong links with decision makers and are regularly consulted on areas of policy. They are so called because they work inside the political system through MPs, peers and committees. They may have this access because...
Words: 4023 - Pages: 17
...to human health and made by secret recipes of the ancestor of Tangs. Each dessert addresses to different kind of functions and could help in improving human’s health in Traditional Chinese Medicine’s aspect as all desserts are made by Chinese herbs. After years of efforts and developments, Tang Dynasty has positioned them as a Leader of Traditional Chinese dessert and has won the respect and appreciation from the domestic customers and foreign tourists. Over the years, Tang Dynasty has insisted in providing fresh and top-quality desserts to its customer every day. All desserts are made daily in its own central food production workshops and to deliver to each store every morning by its logistics and transport teams. Tang Dynasty has been widely recognised as an “100 years old store” with a notable reputation in catering industry, but to continue in achieving sustainable competences, Tang Dynasty has been developing new products, seeking...
Words: 2674 - Pages: 11
...of this transformation but other constitutional reforms are either in being or well under way …… ▪ including the Human Rights Act of 1998 (incorporating the European Convention on Human Rights), ▪ a directly-elected mayor and assembly for London, ▪ a reformed House of Lords ▪ and Freedom of Information legislation. ▪ Although reform of the electoral system for Westminster now seems a somewhat distant prospect, the 1999 elections to the Welsh Assembly, to the Scottish Parliament and to the European Parliament were all conducted using electoral systems very different from the traditional first-past-the-post method. ▪ Referendums have been widely used, and more promised o Lecture by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine of Lairg, to the Constitution Unit, Westminster. 8 December 1998 o No other Government this century has embarked upon so significant or wide-ranging a programme of constitutional reform as the New Labour Government. It is therefore my particular pleasure, as the member of the Cabinet entrusted with driving forward development of policy, to have been invited here to give the Annual Constitution Unit Lecture. o We came to power with specific problems identified: o a government that was over-centralised, inefficient and bureaucratic; o local government in need of...
Words: 14891 - Pages: 60
...different markets, newspapers are experiencing ‘crisis’, and the nature of that crisis. Should this also be seen as a crisis for journalism and democracy more broadly? Evolving from announcement bulletins in ancient Rome to partisan papers in early nineteenth century and to the neutral papers in mid 1980s with a circulation of 62.5 million (NAA, 2009), newspaper bred journalism and upheld public sphere. However, recent decades witnessed large job cutting and numerous shutting down in newspaper industry. It remains debatable that whether the shockwave would spread to the entire journalism as a profession and to democracy which newspapers have always claimed to serve. This essay is going argue that the crisis confronted by newspapers does not necessarily entail a declining of journalism since democracy is carried out in a multidimensional way in new media environment. This essay will firstly look at the manifestation of the crisis confronted by newspaper industry in recent decades, the structural change it brought, and the nature of the crisis. After that, this essay would look at how the crisis encountered by the industry transformed journalistic practices and argues that journalism still has the capacity to carry out its civil function. Newspapers industry have been experiencing the decline of market share and revenue margin since the late twentieth century across markets such as U.S., UK, European, and Australia. (Beecher, 2005; Carson, 2013; Franklin, 2008; O’Donnell, 2012)...
Words: 1924 - Pages: 8
...Give reasons for your answer. In this essay the following methods of punishment; deterrence, retribution, rehabilitation and incapacitation will be critically evaluated with example to reference, thus the most appropriate method in collaboration with the justice system for the UK can be selected. There has been much debate with regards to the meaning and purpose let alone the most efficient method of punishment for many years. For the purpose of this essay punishment can be defined as ‘social artefact’ Garland (1990). Punishment such as prison and ASBOs tell us a lot about society such as who has broken the law and who is legit and trustable, nevertheless dose this in reality justify why punishment exists and conducted in a social environment? As stated by Durkheim punishment has a diverse effect on each person certain people react in a positive manner and others in a negative. However he left us to question from all the different strategies at the core of punishment which one actually works in different places or at different times, do societies use different kinds of penal strategy? Why did punishment such as ducking stools and stocks go out of fashion? Why have so many industrial democracies given up on capital punishment? Why has imprisonment become such an important form of punishment” Hudson, J (2003). Capital punishment can be defined as ‘capital punishment has been relatively common in the middle ages and for some time beyond but, was gradually replaced by...
Words: 2282 - Pages: 10
... These are: Democracy and political participation Party policies and ideas Elections Pressure groups There is no significance to the order in which questions appear. Each question is divided into three sections (a), (b) and (c). When choosing which questions to do, the following principles are recommended: It is almost certain that you will be better off choosing your strongest question to do first. You should choose questions on the basis of how well you can answer the section (c) part. The (c) part carries 25 of the 40 marks available for the whole answer. Do not choose a question simply because you can do part (a) especially well. The (a) question is only worth 5 marks. It would be illogical to choose your strongest (a) part if you cannot do well on section (c). If you cannot decide between several (c) parts, i.e. you can do more than one equally well, make your choice on the basis of part (b) which carries 10 marks. But remember, it is the (c) parts that will determine most what your overall mark will be. So, when you first look at the exam paper, look at the (c) sections first. Assessment Objectives Each question is divided into three sections, as follows: carries 5 marks carries 10 marks carries 25 marks The way you answer questions should be determined by the way assessment objectives are distributed. Assessment objectives provide the basis upon which examiners award marks. You need to be familiar with them to maximise your marks. They will help direct your revision...
Words: 51996 - Pages: 208
...proposals: building workplace justice 13 Workplace justice 19 Limits to legally based solutions 24 Labour market and employer-led changes 27 Constraints and possibilities 31 Concluding remarks 39 References 42 Notes 45 Acknowledgements The help and encouragement of Keith Sisson have been crucial to the production of this paper, which is a completely revised version of the 2005 Annual Employment Relations Lecture, Keele University. I am grateful to colleagues at Keele and to the audience there, and also to David Coats and Paul Marginson, for comments and suggestions. I take sole responsibility for the views expressed. 2 Justice in the workplace Executive summary The goal of improving fairness in the workplace has been central to UK public policy since 1997. For rather longer, companies have spoken of employee empowerment through such things as teamwork. Much has been done in both areas, but major concerns remain. In relation to fairness, employee rights give entitlements, but these rights also need to be meaningful and effective. In the workplace, the take-up of empowerment initiatives remains limited, and on some dimensions the extent of empowerment has in fact been falling. Initiatives in many areas, ranging from the National Minimum Wage to partnership deals, have the potential to improve workplace governance, which in turn contributes to productive efficiency. But this potential is often weak in practice, because of the absence of a...
Words: 15329 - Pages: 62
...Punishment and Sentencing Philosophies Punishment and Sentencing Philosophies Chandra Walker Axia Online-UOP Abstract In this paper we will discuss the various punishment and sentencing philosophies that are used within the criminal justice system. The process that is used to apply justice is determined for the most part by punishment philosophies. These philosophies are used to express a variety of different concerns and arguments regarding the use of appropriate sentencing and treatment. Rehabilitation is a philosophy that predominantly rues the juvenile justice court system, but do not carry as much weight and is widely scrutinized within the adult courts sector. Rehabilitation may be scrutinized in the juvenile justice court system when the criminal behavior of the juvenile continues to escalate, but when rehabilitation is successful then it can be both beneficial for the criminal and society. When the appeals process is exercised it provides the fair practice of law, ensures those at trial the rights of due process, and gives clarity and provides full understanding of justice and the law. Punishment and Sentencing Philosophies In any nation that strives for great democracy, the major concern is the guaranteed universality of justice. For the US this is an ongoing process that is pursued largely in the court systems on an ongoing basis. Many criminalists state that if it the general basis for an action to constitute a crime really...
Words: 1461 - Pages: 6
...left–right spectrum.[3][4] Fascists saw World War I as a revolution. It brought revolutionary changes in the nature of war, society, the state, and technology. The advent of total war and total mass mobilization of society had broken down the distinction between civilian and combatant. A "military citizenship" arose in which all citizens were involved with the military in some manner during the war.[5][6] The war had resulted in the rise of a powerful state capable of mobilizing millions of people to serve on the front lines or provide economic production and logistics to support those on the front lines, as well as having unprecedented authority to intervene in the lives of citizens.[5][6] Fascists view World War I as having made liberal democracy obsolete, and regard total mobilization of society under a totalitarian single-party state as necessary to prepare a nation for armed conflict and to respond effectively to economic...
Words: 17730 - Pages: 71
...Globalization ,Education and Japan Ikuo ISOZAKI(Dr. & Prof.) Chiba University,JAPAN Introduction The word “globalization” is the buzzword of the moment. Similar to the word “democracy”, it could be one of those words that become more ambiguous in meaning as they are more widely used. Globalization, however, is not too difficult a word to understand when we interpret it as a phenomenon where goods, people, information and services are now more easily coming together over national boundaries. Behind globalization, no doubt, is rapid technological innovation. The idea is that globalization is dramatically making our globe smaller, our spectrum wider and our various networks larger. Some people argue that there are downfalls however, including flooding information and heightening psychological insecurity from various types of inequality. We are required to face globalization while fully understanding the positives and negatives of globalization. Globalization is likely impacting not only on how economies work, but also on what a state actually is. For example, some experts maintain that the function of a state is diminished by globalization and forced to focus efforts on localization and regionalization. I would like to examine from various aspects how globalization influences states,and public policies, especially on the educational policy by taking Japan as an example...
Words: 4654 - Pages: 19
...Human Development Research Paper 2010/30 Dealing with employment risk: Policy options for emerging markets Simon Commander United Nations Development Programme Human Development Reports Research Paper November 2010 Human Development Research Paper 2010/30 Dealing with employment risk: Policy options for emerging markets Simon Commander United Nations Development Programme Human Development Reports Research Paper 2010/30 November 2010 Dealing with employment risk: Policy options for emerging markets1 Simon Commander Simon Commander is Managing Partner at the EBRD, IE Business School and Altura Advisers. Email: scommander@alturaadvisers.com Comments should be addressed by email to the author(s). 1 Thanks to Jeni Klugman for discussion and comments and to Ginette Azcona for help with data. Abstract The paper looks at the experience of advanced economies in dealing with employment volatility. It examines in detail the impact of labour market institutions on equilibrium unemployment and the p ossible le ssons f or e merging ma rket e conomies tr ying to d esign p olicy f or d ealing w ith unemployment and a wider, growing demand for social protection from their citizens. Part of the paper concentrates on t he t ransition e conomies whose i nstitutional c ontext m ay b e r elevant t o other emerging ma rkets. S ome leading principles in policy d esign a re elaborated th at take into account s ome o f t he co mmon f eatures o f em erging m arkets, n...
Words: 19075 - Pages: 77
