Democratic Institutions

Activities of the State

• State making

• War making

• Protection

• Extraction

• Adjudication

• Distribution

• Production

How do democracies do it?

• What institutions perform various activities?

• Is authority dispersed?

• What priorities are assigned?

What do we expect to find in a Democracy?

• Are these necessary?

• Are these sufficient?

Limited Government

• Lack of authority

• Institutional competition

• Rights

Types of Democracy

• Presidential

• Parliamentary

• Semi-Presidential

Problems with Presidentialism

Law Adjudicating

• State of nature

• Tribal chief or warlord

• King’s law

• Courts

• Arbitration

Triadic Dispute Resolution

• If neither party unilaterally impose their will

• Agree on the process

• Agree on the arbitrator

• Agree to abide by the decision

Types of legal systems

• Common Law

• Civil Law

Judicial Review

• The power of the Courts to declare national, state and local laws invalid if they violate the Constitution

• The supremacy constitutions when they conflict with central or local laws

Judicial Review in the US

Marbury v. Madison

Judicial Review – in comparative perspective

• Belgium• Iran and Pakistan علماء• Australia • Germany• India • Switzerland

Three Forms of Center-Subsovereign Relations

• Unitary

• Federal

• Confederal

Military

• Civilian control• Appointed general staff• Apolitical

• “The difference between a democracy and a dictatorship is that in a democracy the President chooses the top generals. In a dictatorship, it is just the opposite.”

Press

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers"

Elections

• Who can vote?

• What are there choices?

• How are these choices determined?

• Does the vote have effect?

Is competition necessary or a variety of democracy?

Consociationalism: The Arrangement

• The Arrangement

• When?

• The Rules

• Criticism

Political Culture

Why do we vote?

• Affective orientation

• Cognitive orientation

• Evaluational orientation

Influences on political socialization

• Family• Education / Schools• Peers / Peer groups / Clubs / etc.• Religion / Religious associations• Economic Status / Occupation / Coworkers• Political events• Opinion leaders• Media• Race / gender / demographic traits

Some socialized values

• Support for key values and shared beliefs

• Support for the political system

• Trust in government decision making

• Confidence in particular institutions

• Participation in the political system

Social Capital model in Italy

Elite Theory of Stable Democracy

Political Culture Reconceived

Transition vs. Consolidation

• Is political culture needed for democratic transition or just consolidation?