Democracy - Evolution and Challenges

2021

A comment by me on an Harvard Business School article.

I hope every body with the role of representative of the people in the political system think they are the representatives and make arrangements to collect public opinion on various issues and present them in various legislative bodies. Each representative has to present the current opinion of the people genuinely. He may be a party member and can communicate his wishes to the electorate on a continuous basis. But once he collects their opinion on any issue, he has to present it in the legislature as the opinion and wish of the people. If such a spirit is truly followed, democracies are likely to represent the majority opinion and hard positions can be easily reversed.

Prof. K.V.S.S. Narayana Rao

NITIE, Mumbai, India

21 January 2021

https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/leadership-advice-for-biden-restore-a-sense-of-calm

2020

25/DEC/2020

Abraham Lincoln defined democratic government as a government of, for and by the people. This definition was true to the spirit of the origin of democracy in the ancient Greek city states, where all males above 18 years were participating in the day to day affairs of the government.

The essence of democracy is the participation of the people in the day to day affairs of the state. 

Elections and Parliaments are not democracy if  participation of the people in the day to day affairs of the state is not allowed and not encouraged.

https://thewire.in/rights/how-much-of-a-democracy-is-india-really

Democracy and pluralism are under assault.

WRITTEN BY

Sarah Repucci

Democracy and pluralism are under assault. Dictators are toiling to stamp out the last vestiges of domestic dissent and spread their harmful influence to new corners of the world. At the same time, many freely elected leaders are dramatically narrowing their concerns to a blinkered interpretation of the national interest. In fact, such leaders—including the chief executives of the United States and India, the world’s two largest democracies—are increasingly willing to break down institutional safeguards and disregard the rights of critics and minorities as they pursue their populist agendas.

As a result of these and other trends, Freedom House found that 2019 was the 14th consecutive year of decline in global freedom.

https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2020/leaderless-struggle-democracy

India falls to 51st position in EIU's Democracy Index

NEW DELHI: India slipped 10 places to 51st position in the 2019 Democracy Index's global ranking, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit, which cited "erosion of civil liberties" in the country as the primary cause for the downtrend.

Read more at:

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/india-falls-to-51st-position-in-eius-democracy-index/articleshow/73519661.cms

2017

THE GLOBAL STATE OF DEMOCRACY

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) presented the first edition of The Global State of Democracy. The theme is ‘Exploring Democracy’s Resilience’.

The publication analyses global and regional democracy trends and challenges based on International IDEA’s newly developed Global State of Democracy (GSoD) indices, which capture global and regional democratic trends between 1975 and 2015.

https://www.idea.int/gsod/files/IDEA-GSOD-2017-REPORT-EN.pdf

https://www.idea.int/gsod/

International Idea
https://www.idea.int/

FaceBook Page
https://www.facebook.com/pg/InternationalIDEA/posts/


Google Books on Democracy

Democratic Stability in an Age of Crisis: Reassessing the Interwar period

By Agnes Cornell, Jørgen Møller, Svend-Erik Skaaning

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=JQfcDwAAQBAJ

Democracy in Europe: A Political Philosophy of the EU

By Daniel Innerarity

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=fb9ODwAAQBAJ

Change Elections to Change America: Democracy Matters: Student Organizers in Action

Jay R. Mandle, Joan D. Mandle

Easton Studio Press, LLC, 23-Sep-2014 - Political Science - 168 pages

A social movement is needed to reduce the excessive power of wealth to influence politics. Democracy Matters organizes students in the hope of building such a social movement. It seeks to achieve the enhanced political equality that could be secured with the public funding of election campaigns. Historically, young people have provided a moral compass for their elders, highlighting the need for social change.

Change Elections to Change America is a report on the ongoing experiences of Democracy Matters. It was founded in 2001 when the professional basketball player Adonal Foyle provided initial funding. It has grown and brought the issue of the distorting impact of private wealth to the attention of literally thousands of students on campuses all over the United States. But at the same time it has not yet succeeded in bringing to life the kind of a social movement needed for such a radical change.

Change Elections to Change America describes the activities of Democracy Matters on campuses. It concludes with a positive assessment of the prospects for building a social movement in the digital age. Social media are invaluable tools that facilitate organizing. But they are no substitute for face to face dialogue and persuasion. Success will require a scaling up of organizing efforts. This book is written with the hope that the Democracy Matters experience will inspire others to do the political work that democratizing politics in the United States requires.

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=IP08BAAAQBAJ

Leading For Democracy: A Case-Based Approach to Principal Preparation

By Patrick M. Jenlink, Lee Stewart, Sandra Stewart

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=c40iJMTCw4wC

The Conceptual Politics of Democracy Promotion

edited by Christopher Hobson, Milja Kurki

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=NcOoAgAAQBAJ

The Future of Representative Democracy

edited by Sonia Alonso, John Keane, Wolfgang Merkel

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=9iWxeJ9knnwC

Democracy Distorted: Wealth, Influence and Democratic Politics

By Jacob Rowbottom

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=9H4I4TSoRAcC

The Truth of Democracy

By Jean-Luc Nancy

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=ZAubBGp3cC8C

Money in Politics - Problems and Issues
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International Idea - YouTube Channel 

27 Jan 2021

24 Nov 2017

The American Democracy - Evolution and Issues

Robert Dahl - The dean of American political scientists (1915 - 2014)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Dahl

The Future of American Democratic Politics: Principles and Practices


Nancy J. Hirschmann, Wilson McWilliams, Gordon Schochet, Jane Junn, Nelson Polsby, Jennifer Hochschild, John Hansen, Daniel Tichenor, Milton Heumann, Elizabeth Garrett, William Crotty, Alan Rosenthal, Gerald Pomper
Rutgers University Press, Jul 21, 2003 - 296 pages


Even before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, political scientists were assessing changes and continuities in the principles and practices of American democracy. Recent events, including the passage of the U.S. Patriot Act and the current debates about civil liberties versus homeland security, intensify the need to examine the long-term viability of democracy.

In this book, fifteen major scholars assess the current state of American democracy, offering a spirited dialogue on the future of democratic politics. Contributors focus on three principles fundamental to democracy—equality, liberty, and participation. They examine these principles within the context of the basic institutions of American democracy: Congress and the state legislatures, the president, political parties, interest groups, and the Supreme Court.  They raise questions regarding the checks and balances among formal governmental institutions (with the contributors sharing concern over the fading power of the legislature and the increased power of the executive and judiciary) as well as the role of political parties and interest groups.

Topics discussed include: the incomplete mobilization of the electorate, the debates over campaign finance reform and term limits, the Supreme Court’s activist role in the Florida recount, the dangers of teledemocracy and state initiatives, the separation of political participation from residential location, “identity politics,” the clash of "negative" and "positive" liberty, and the prospects for personal freedom in an era of terrorist threats.

This timely collection covers the issues relevant to the future of American democracy today not only for lawmakers, students, and historians, but for any concerned citizen.

Preview
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=P0J6Gz5jagEC



Updated 30 August 2017, 7 February 2015

Reengineering America - Dick Formichella - A Novel on Changing the Government System

Reengineering America


Dick Formichella
iUniverse, 21-Jun-2005 -


A driven entrepreneur who made millions in the software industry, John Payton strongly believes that the American system of government is outdated. In fact, he's on a mission to convince the American people that they need a new 'tech-savvy" Constitution. According to John's calculations, such a version would be more effective, save billions of dollars in taxes, and could even establish a form of government closer to pure democracy.

With the secret help of an ambitious senator and his brilliant chief of staff, Payton starts a movement called 'Reengineering America." The group is dedicated to pressuring Congress to pass a Constitutional Amendment mandating that a second Constitutional Convention rewrite the document.

But Payton's unlikely crusade captures the attention of sinister and powerful forces both in and outside the government. Some want to stop him at any cost-while others want to ensure he succeeds for their own nefarious purposes.

Unable to distinguish friend from foe, John Payton must ultimately put his fortune- and his life-at risk trying to convince a dubious nation it's time to modernize a 200 year old system of government.

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=EYXc2aNJ5mkC

Conservatism and Radicalism - Burke and Paine

Burke and a lot of conservatives  begin with very low expectations of human beings.They are very limited in the abilities and based on this it is amazing if something is working and giving results. Hence they  want to build on existing working systems it, rather than try to uproot the system and substitute it with a new system.

Paine thinks in the opposite way and starts with the belief that systems put in place by some people earlier can be replaced by new system designed by people now. Therefore,  there is no excuse for failure and things which are not working and delivering expected results have to be redesigned. When we see a society in which injustice reigns, we have to start from scratch and in a radical way change things.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/jan-june14/division_01-01.html


Yuval Levin Author of "The Great Debate: Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and the Birth of Right and Left" in an interview.

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Political consultants in US Congressional Elections - Book Information

Political Consultants in U.S. Congressional Elections

Stephen K. Medvic

Ohio State University Press, 2001 - Political Science - 224 pages
Campaign consultants are arguably now as famous in the United States as are politicians themselves. During the past decade, those who know the names Bill Clinton, George Bush, Newt Gingrich, and Christine Todd Whitman also recognize the names James Carville, Mary Matalin, Frank Luntz, and Ed Rollins. Professional consultants, once part of the privileged inner circle of presidential and gubernatorial candidates, are increasingly found at all levels of politics. Indeed, more than half of congressional candidates hire campaign consultants. These professionals have become as important to a candidate's success as money. In this innovative study, Stephen K. Medvic explores all aspects of political consultancy and develops an empirically based theory that measures the impact consultants have on elections.


Political Consultants in U.S. Congressional Elections answers two simple questions: What do professional political consultants do? and How successful are they? Medvic analyzes the way consultants shape political dialogue and uses empirical data to show the benefits -- and limits -- of a consultant's involvement in a campaign. He focuses on issues as diverse as vote shares, outcomes, and fundraising. Finally, the author demonstrates how the adversarial nature of campaigns fosters the kind of electioneering advocated by most political consultants and argues that this process may not be as harmful for the country as is often suggested.


http://books.google.co.in/books/about/Political_Consultants_in_U_S_Congression.html?id=0FUETF_2vQUC

Nonviolence and Civil Resistance - Talks and Lectures

2 October - International Day of Nonviolence6-2-2012
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