POL 2104 Chapter Notes -Majoritarianism, Planned Economy, Legal Culture
6 Jul 2014
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Democratization requires open contestation over the right to win control of the government, and this in turn requires free competitive elections. Transitions may begin that are never completed. Behaviorally, democracy becomes the only game in town when no significant political groups seriously attempt to overthrow the democratic regime or secede from the state. With consolidation, democracy becomes routinized and deeply internalized in social, institutional, and even psychological life, as well as in calculations for achieving success. Consolidated democracies can continue to improve their quality by raising the minimal economic plateau upon which all citizens stand and by deepening political and social participation in the life of the country. Democracy is a form of governance of a state. No modern polity can become democratically consolidated unless it is first a state. Arena of the polity where self-organizing groups, movements, and individuals, relatively autonomous from the state, attempt to articulate values, create associations and solidarities, and advance their interests.
