What is democracy?

PSCI 1101
Fall 2022

Prof. Noam Lupu

What is a political regime?

“A regime or system of governance is an ensemble of

patterns that determines the methods of access to
the principal public offices; the characteristics of the
actors admitted to or excluded from such access; the
strategies that actors may use to gain access; and the
rules that are followed in the making of publicly
binding decisions.”

– Karl and Schmitter (1991)

What is a political regime?

Who gets access to power?

How can they wield power?

How are decisions made?

What is a political regime?
State = hardware

Regime = operating system

Government/administration = user
What is democracy?
• Democracy is the most common political regime today
• But only since 2000

• Demokratia = rule by the demos (common people)

• Plato and Aristotle saw this as dangerous

• Associated with direct participation or selection by lottery

• Since 18th century: representative democracy, elections

What is democracy?

https://padlet.com/noamlupu/yxty5p0ru6gih1gd
What is democracy?

• Procedural definitions – formal rules

• Minimalist versus broader

• Liberalism vs. illiberalism

Minimalist definition

“The democratic method is 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.”

– Joseph Schumpeter
Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy
Minimalist definition
• Focus on competition/conflict

• Centrality of elections
• Losers know they may win next time
• Winners know they may lose next time
• Voters know who has strength in numbers  legitimacy

• Objective and easy to measure, binary

But…
• Assumes perfect competition
• Assumes freedom to express preferences
• Ignores accountability
• Ignores minority rights
• Ignores non-electoral forms of participation
Broader definition

“[Democracy is ] the continuing

responsiveness of the government to the
preferences of its citizens, considered as
political equals.”
– Robert Dahl
Polyarchy
Broader definition
• Polyarchy: rule by many

• Continuous measure

• Two dimensions:

1. Contestation (liberalism)

2. Participation
Polyarchy
Early US

Russia, Venezuela
North Korea
Why democracy?
• Instrumental argument  outcomes

• Normative argument  rights