Democracy is a system of government that gives citizens the power to vote for their elected representatives. It also ensures that citizens’ views are represented in decision making. This makes democracy a more fair and just form of government, compared to feudal or monarchical forms of rule. However, despite its many benefits, democracy has its flaws, and it requires constant vigilance to make sure that it works as intended.
A key test of a democracy’s health is how it handles a crisis. In a democracy, people are held accountable for their actions, and there is a strong sense of cooperation.
These principles are important because democracy is a delicate balance of compromise and understanding. To work, democracy must produce good laws and policies, it must deliver services and be trustworthy, and it must involve people in civic life – think elections, taxes and respect for one another. If these principles are not being respected, or democracy is suffering from a severe threat, then it must demonstrate that its institutions can handle the challenge.
There are many different ways to evaluate the success of democracy. Some of the most common include measuring the rate of economic growth, poverty rates, education levels, breadth of political participation and respect for individual rights. Other measures include measuring the quality of the government and assessing the security from foreign enemies.
A fundamental justification for democracy is that it enables the citizens to achieve their full potential. It does this by providing them with access to opportunities for education and health care that allow them to fulfil their potential and contribute to the economy. It has been shown that countries with high levels of democracy have a higher level of GDP per capita than those without it (Acemoglu et al, 2019).
In addition to this intrinsic value, there are other reasons to support democracy. One such justification is that democratic processes are able to better exploit the innate cognitive diversity of large groups. This is because they involve a wide range of people in the decision making process, and these people bring a variety of perspectives to the issue at hand.
Other arguments for democracy include that it encourages people to think carefully and rationally about the problems they face, and that it promotes a spirit of cooperation and mutual assistance. It has also been argued that it develops the moral qualities of citizens by forcing them to think about their responsibilities and the needs of other people.
In general, few theorists deny that democratic institutions must be evaluated in terms of their outcomes compared to other methods of political decision making. However, some theorists argue that democracy has an intrinsic value of its own, independent of its outcomes. These values are often referred to as “epistemological” justifications for democracy. These arguments draw on a rich tradition of philosophical thought, including that of Aristotle and John Stuart Mill. However, these arguments have been criticized as overly simplistic and inadequate for justifying democracy in its current form (Brennan 2016). The most important consideration is that, whether or not there are intrinsic justifications for democracy, it is still a useful and necessary political institution.