POLI 2F30 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Elections Canada, Cronyism, Judicial Independence
21 Mar 2018
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Document Summary
Defined: contemporary preferred model of political order, term used loosely, tern now to fleshing out the concept. Procedural democracies: minimal, civil liberties, freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of assembly, political rights, free elections, universal suffrage, multiple parties. Substantive democracies: expansive definition, social inclusion, civil society, gender, racial equality, socioeconomic equality. Note: few democracies can claim substantive nature, concept of equality is not paramount in most democracies, hence: liberal democracy can co- exist with varying economic systems. Representative vs direct democracy: direct, citizens resolve issues through popular vote, referenda, representative, citizens choose individuals to represent them. Basic argument for representative democracy: governing over diversity, allowing citizens to choose their leaders, elected representatives should make the laws, but should be held accountable, varieties of democracy: established, transitional, fa ade. Established democracy: more than half worlds states are minimal democracies, but fewer persist over time, have had 2 successive free, peaceful elections, canada, us, most of western europe.
