1 / 10

The State and Democracy: Analysis of Modern Political Systems since 1500

This lecture delves into the evolution of the state and democracy from Europe's emergence in the 1500s to the modern era, discussing components like population, territory, government, and the role of war in power concentration. It reflects on the restructuring of the state post-mid-1970s due to oil shocks, financial crises, and the impact of globalization. The lecture also explores the idea of state and nation, discussing the concept of imagined communities and the emergence of nation-states. Additionally, it covers the essence of democracy, various types like direct and representative democracy, and the characteristics of a responsive government in liberal democracies versus illiberal democracies.

ryder-watts
Download Presentation

The State and Democracy: Analysis of Modern Political Systems since 1500

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Political science AY 2010-2011 - Lecture 4 “The State and Democracy” Prof. Paolo R. Graziano

  2. A peculiar polity THE STATE Population Territory Government • Emergence • Europe, ca. 1500-1800 A.C. • - fundamental component of the MODERNIZATION process • - The role of war • - Power CONCENTRATION, modern bureaucracy • - Functions • Institutionalization & Expansion • - 1800-1900 more clear borders • After WWII: expansion of functions • -The “welfare state” and more states

  3. A peculiarpolity THE STATE • Restructuring • Since mid-1970s, after the “oil shocks” • - Financial crisis ….privatization • -Internationalization and globalization process • …is the state still a relevant/the dominant actor? • Resurgence • - the regulatory state

  4. STATE & NATION • STATE • - population • - territory • - government • NATION • - it is an imagined community • …based on actual or presumed ties (ethnic, religious, language) • …and emotional bonds

  5. STATE & NATION 1 STATE MORE STATES 1 NATION + NATIONS NATION-STATE (Iceland, but also most other states) STATELESS NATION The Kurds DIASPORA The Jews MULTI-NATIONAL STATES (Austro-Hungarian Empire, UK)

  6. What is democracy ? Meanings & types of democracy Demos kratos: Rule of the people DIRECT democracy …and its limits Power from the people of the people for the people REPRESENTATIVE democracy

  7. What is representative democracy ? A normative definition • R. Dahl, Poliarchy, 1980 (1971) • “a key characteristic of a democracy is the • continued responsiveness of the government • to the preferences of its citizens, • considered as political equals”

  8. What is representative democracy ? Procedural, minimal definition • J. Schumpeter, 1943 • “the democratic methodis that institutional arrangement for arriving at political decisions in which individuals acquire the power to decide by means of a COMPETITIVE STRUGGLE for the people’s vote” + R. DAHL 7 Basic institutional guarantees/prerequisites For responsive government and equality of citizens • Freedom of association • Freedom of thought and expression • Pluralism of information (multiple and free source of information) • Right to vote (active electorate) • Right to compete for the people’s vote & to occupy public offices (passive electorate) • Free, correct and recurrent elections • Rules that make political institutions dependent on the people’s vote

  9. Representative liberal democracy A system characterized by • Universal suffrage, both male and female • Free, competitive, fair and recurrent elections • Pluralistic party system • Pluralistic information system

  10. Illiberal democracies while in Liberal democracy the power of government is limited • …in Illiberal democracies it is NOT • There are elections, but • Electoral results are deeply influenced by, and controlled through • - the strong government “grip” on information sources • - the “particularistic”usage of state resources • The political executive is generally dominated by a strong president • that pays little attention to individual rights, especially opponents rights • The judiciary is generally under-resourced and has limited independence

More Related