Liberal democracy
Liberal democracy is a form of representative government that is characterized by classical liberal ideologies. Its characteristics include elections, political parties, the rule of law, equal protection of rights and separation of powers. The government draws its power and legitimacy from the constitution, which establishes the social contract on governance. The constitution defines the democratic nature of a state. Liberal democracy is the dominant system of governance around the world, but it takes different forms including constitutional monarchy and republic. The system is based on the need for universal suffrage, where citizens are treated as equals regardless of socioeconomic or cultural differences (Held, 2006).
The principle of liberal democracy is undermined by capitalistic ideologies. Although the system is meant to provide equality of opportunities for all the people in leadership and decision making, politics in a liberal democracy are class-based. The wealthy elites often use their resources to gain political influence over others. As such, liberal democracies may undermine public interest because the wealthy can use their resources to influence political outcomes.
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"Democratic Regime Types".
Classic pluralism
Classic pluralism is a type of democracy characterized by continuous bargaining between competing groups. Decisions making takes place within established structures of governance, but non-government groups are the major political players. Individuals join groups whose role is to maximize their interests by bargaining with other groups. Individuals take advantage of the competing groups to advance personal goals. This system promotes civil rights and development of political parties (Held, 2006).
Classic pluralism is undermined by the fact that individual in the public act as bystanders to the political processes. Individuals have little chance of advancing certain political views without going through the interest groups. Also, some groups exert more political influence leading to elite pluralism and other forms of pluralism that do not advance the public interest.
Participatory democracy
This type of democracy is based on the direct participation of the constituents in political decision making. Theoretically, the political power resides with the people, and thus they must be involved in the decision-making process (Held, 2006). The system seeks to provide an opportunity for everyone to make a meaningful political contribution. Participatory democracy is characterized by the use of systems and procedures to facilitate the consideration of public input on governance. For example, technology is extensively used to collect views and encourage the people to participate in political debates.
Participatory democracy is difficult to implement because of challenges with the creation of opportunities for individuals. Besides, there is a high risk of delays in the formulation and implementation of public policy because of the need to involve the public in decision making. Participatory democracy often takes the form of representative democracy where individuals are represented by interest groups.
Deliberative democracy
Deliberative democracy is a political system based on consensus among the people and different interest groups. The key element is authentic deliberation of issues before the final decision can be made (Held, 2006). The system has the elements of traditional democracy in that the final determination is made through the majority rule. The goal of the system is to create an environment of equality, where various views and opinions can be considered before a decision is made. Political decisions gain legitimacy from the opportunity given to people and interest groups for deliberation.
Deliberative democracy is undermined by the fact that it favors liberal ideologies. This is because the system encourages diversity of views and their deliberation by the whole group. Also, deliberative democracy creates opportunities for an adversarial relationship between the government and the public. Individuals or groups tend to think that the government must consider their interest on all issues.
The philosophical Underpinning of the US System of Governance
The US is a liberal democratic republic governed by representative democracy. There is the separation of power between three branches of government: executive, legislature, and judiciary. The US system of governance was influenced by the philosophy of natural law. The philosophy of natural law holds that government is a result of a social contract where people voluntarily surrender some of their rights in exchange for safety and order. The government gains legitimacy from the people and exists to advance the interest of the people in a jurisdiction. The philosophy of natural law allows the common people to create the political leadership and take back political power from the government through a revolution (McNeese, 2014).
The framers of the US Constitution were concerned that the government would become too powerful at the expense of the people. To avoid such outcome, they created three interdependent branches of government with separate powers. The system creates checks and balances where each branch of government is accountable to another or depends on another to exercise its powers. As such, the government as a whole cannot become too powerful for the people. For instance, the activities of the executive arm of government can be curtailed through legislation and budgetary allocation by the legislature.
Also, the US democracy uses the British philosophy of constitutional governance that is established through the Magna Carta, The British Petition of Rights and the British Bill of Rights (McNeese, 2014). The Magna Carta is a doctrine that establishes a constitutional limit on the power of the executive branch of government and the rule of law. The British Petition of Right was created as a result of abusive practices by the Monarch. The bill of rights protects the natural rights of individuals from the state. The philosophical underpinnings of the US government show that America chose democracy over other forms of governance to protect personal rights and liberties from violation by the state.
- Held, D. (2006). Models of Democracy. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
- McNeese, T. (2014).From the Magna Carta to Independence: The Origins of the Constitution. Milliken Publishing Company.
