POL SCI 51A Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Cruel And Unusual Punishment, Divided Government, Liberal Democracy
19 Oct 2016
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Democracy is political power exercised either directly or indirectly through participation, competition, and liberty. There are various, and competing, explanations for why democracy has emerged in some cases and not in others. Executive, legislative, and judicial institutions can vary dramatically across democracies in their construction and degree of power. Democracies can be classified as parliamentary, presidential, or semi presidential systems. Electoral systems can be classified as plurality, majority, or proportional systems, or a combination thereof. Each side uses different criteria to define democracy. Democracy: political power exercised either directly or indirectly through participation, competition, and liberty. This definition is subjective; it clearly emphasizes individual freedom and is in keeping with the ideology of liberalism. Liberal democracy: specifically to a political system that promotes participation, competition, and liberty. Rooted with the ideology of liberalism, which emphasizes individual rights and freedoms. Many liberal democracies have social democratic regimes. Liberal democratic institutions and practices have their roots in ancient greece and.
