Determining Democracy
Week 1 Discussion: Determining Democracy
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Required Resources Read/review the following resources for this activity:
· Textbook: Chapter 1 ,2, 3
· Lesson: Read this Week’s Lesson which is located in the Modules tab
· Initial Post: minimum of 2 scholarly sources (must include your textbook for one of the sources). Follow-Up Post: minimum of 1 scholarly source for your Follow-Up Post.
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, respond to one of the following options, and label the beginning of your post indicating either Option 1 or Option 2:
· Option 1: Does democracy require equality of income or wealth? Discuss why democracy might make a country more or less egalitarian?
· Option 2: Political scientist Larry Sabato has proposed a new constitutional convention (Links to an external site.) . Select any one of his proposed ideas and write a short list of pros and cons for this idea and support your reasoning.
Be sure to make connections between your ideas and conclusions and the research, concepts, terms, and theory we are discussing this week.
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least one peer. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification. Minimum of 1 scholarly source which can include your textbook or assigned readings or may be from your additional scholarly research.
Student Example
Option 1
A democracy is a type of government in which the people have political power, the head of state’s power is limited, the separation of powers between governmental bodies is ensured, and natural rights and civil freedoms are protected (Achen et al., 2017). The term democracy is derived from the Greek terms “people” (dmos) and “rule” (rule). However, developing and maintaining a people-centered government—a “popular” government—is significantly more complex than the concept’s semantic simplicity suggests.
Economic development and affluence do not always imply democracy. However, higher wealth levels and the presence of a solid middle class can prevent a return to authoritarianism after democracy develops (Lawson-Remer, 2013). It expounds on the study of some researchers who suggest that high GDP does not accelerate democratic changes but rather forecasts whether democracy, however it emerged, would be sustained. It is not to say that democracy needs a particular level of economic prosperity before seeking political liberty. Even if greater wealth levels aid the sustainability of democracy, democracy in low-income nations is possible. Indeed, various researchers have recently argued that democracy may lead to the fulfillment of other developmental areas, such as economic progress. Nevertheless, the more nations can promote equitable economic growth and develop a large middle class, the greater their chances of maintaining democratic gains (Lawson-Remer, 2013). Considerably under the best of circumstances, this is a challenging assignment; it is made even more difficult by the transitional nations are experiencing.
Those interested in fostering democracy across the world should keep in mind that, while economic growth only is insufficient to provide political freedom, the existence of an extensive and thriving middle class significantly improves the possibilities of successful democratization.
References
Achen, C., Bartels, L., Achen, C. H., & Bartels, L. M. (2017). Democracy for realists. In Democracy for Realists. Princeton University Press.
Lawson-Remer, T., (2013). New Insights on the Relationship Between Democracy and Wealth. https://www.cfr.org/blog/new-insights-relationship-between-democracy-and-wealth
