Democratic vs authoritarian regimes

What is democracy?

Characteristics of a democracy: system for choosing leaders Free and fair elections Indirect or direct system Referendum (or plebiscite)

Characteristics of a democracy: active participation of citizens In politics In civil life Civil society Associational autonomy pluralist societies

Characteristics of a democracy: protection of human rights For all citizens Freedom of speech and press Religious freedom To enjoy one’s own culture Independent and alternative sources of information Right to freely associate Right to assemble and protest Liberal and illiberal democracies

Characteristics of a democracy: rule of law Applied equally All citizens treated the same Constitution (remember rational-legal legitimacy) Legal system and criminal proceedings

Political parties—in democracy Set platforms Organize majority rule by nominating candidates Provide guide to policies Hold elected elites accountable Prevent tyranny Interest aggregation (combine articulated interests into policies)

Election systems Proportional versus single-member district Plurality (most votes) versus majority (more than ½ votes) rule Coalition governments…. Impact on political party development Proportional—multiple parties SMD/First Past Post—2 major parties (maybe others but they are small and politically not very influential)

Election results…. Green Party Democratic Party Republican Party Libertarian Party Who Wins? 5 45 47 3 12 52 24 6 32 46 16 22 54

Election results….

Chief executive Presidential versus parliamentary Impact on separation of powers Impact on divided government Gridlock No confidence votes Role of Head of State (ceremonial)

Authoritarian regimes invest authority in small group of individuals No constitutional responsibility to the public No viable constitutional mechanism to remove a government All regimes pre-18th century were authoritarian NOT same as totalitarian

“causes” of authoritarian regimes Economic factors Social factors Religious factors

Authoritarian means of control Coercian (force) Compel people to submit to the regime Surveillance of dissidents Information monitoring (ie. Internet) Brute force https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am_dGC4coM4

Means of control Most consistent tactic Cooptation Most consistent tactic State corporatism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GsDLrUieJg Patron-clientelism Corruption (related to patron-clientelism) Power—ability to compel or motivate people to act a certain way Authority—official position and jurisdiction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT4v3m99IEA

Means of control Personality cult More common with totalitarianism Leader is near perfected version of nation’s aspirations Mao Zedong in China during cultural Revolution Stalin in Russia

Authoritarian type—personal rule No clear rules or regime boundaries No constraints on rulers Often royal family Often patron-client network

Authoritarian type-military rule Usually result of a coup d’etat Military leaders become policy makers and enforcers Become agents of the state (Nigeria) Most promise reform right after coup but mostly become engaged in corruption as earlier leaders did.

Authoritarian type-one party rule Also called dominant-party system Only one party legally or practically able to compete for power Sometimes restriction built in to regime (China) Sometimes ruling party takes steps to ensure easy victory every election Illiberal democracy

Authoritarian type-theocracy Intention is rule by God Practically, power held by religious leaders Entrust rule of the state to clerical religious authorities Rules of regime and laws are often required to be consistent with religious doctrines