Comparitive Politics - Essay Example

Comparative Politics There are certain forms of governments that do exist, and all have different structures. Two distinctforms are democratic governments and authoritarian governments. There are various ways in which the democratic regimes forms of government differ from the authoritarian government.Democratic form of GovernmentThis is a form of government where each and every individual is allowed to be part of the leadership. This happens through voting where every individual has the right to vote.

It is a system where leaders who do not perform as expected standards can be relieved of responsibilities of representation by the voters. This is presumed to be the fairest political system. This system of governance entails two aspects; political participation and contestation (the former is through voting while the latter is through vying for a political seat). There is better attitudes and intentions of freedom of speech and press (Samuels, 2012).The democratic system of governance is a system which has given people the freedom of meeting and freely expresses their political views without fear or intimidation.

There are two types of democracies commonly practiced in the world. Direct democracy is a form of government where leadership is vested in the hands of individuals. It’s also known as a government not only by the people themselves but also for the people. Every individual is given the chance to directly influence the policy making process. The second type of democracy is representative democracy. This is a political system where there is an intermediary political actor between the individual and policy outputs of the society.

This is done through electoral process where one person or a group is elected, with the task of representing the voters.Democracy has made it possible for voters to participate in policy making process. Citizens are able to choose the right person to lead unlike other forms of governance where leaders are appointed. Through democracy form of leadership interest of those represented are safeguarded because the real power of leadership lies in the hands of the voters. Equity is the main principle where individuals are entitled to equal rights.

The freedom of speech makes people air out their grievances without fear, and this enhances good governance. Due to the way democracy is organized, individuals who to lead this system enjoy a lot of stability and efficiency in administration. Democracy has promoted peaceful politics in different areas; this is due to the fact that there is freedom and rights to be enjoyed by all individuals equally. The mode of governance, however has its disadvantages as was the case with China (Hilamn, 2), where corruption was the lead story.

Authoritarian form of GovernmentThis is a form of leadership style in which the person in power dictates the policies and procedures. The leader(s) sets the goals to be achieved and are in full control of all activities with no participation by subordinates. It is different from democratic governance in that the power of leadership in democracy is in the hands of voters whilst authoritative form of leadership denies people the right to take part in policy making. It is a form of leadership associated with the dictatorial way of leading; people follow what their leaders put in place (Snyder and Samuels 156).

This form of government helps in quick decision making unlike democracy where the subordinates are consulted in decision making. Authoritarianism poses a big challenge to several nations as individuals feel not being part of their government; they just pursue goals set by their leaders. All duties and roles are dictated by the leaders. This has led to a rise of revolts in different parts of the world, as citizens pursue freedom. Snyder and Samuels (146-159) discuss the effects in Latin America as having been caused by ‘malapportionment’ on democracy.

Authoritarianism can induce organizational stress as individuals can only pursue the goals and vision of their leaders without giving their opinions; power is centered on one person or a group of people. Different types of authoritative regimes face different tendencies of developing towards democracy due to people’s rebellion against dictatorship in the world (Hadenius and Teorell, 150).ConclusionDemocratic and authoritarian modes of governance have been discussed in this article. Democratic governance is seen as one that vests a lot of powers on the vote; citizens are given a participatory chance in leadership by voting for the leaders of their choice.

They are also involved in many decision making mechanisms. On the other hand, authoritarian governments are dictatorial in nature. In this governance system, the vote is devalued (Snyder and Richards) and power is vested on a few individuals. The modes of governance have been looked into, highlighting the difference between the two regimes. Works cited Hadenius, Alex. and Teorell, Jan. “Pathways from Authoritarianism”. Journal of Democracy 18 (2007): 143-156. Print.Hilman, Ben. “Faction and Spoils: examining the political behavior within the local state in China” The china Journal 64 (2010): 1-18.

Samuels, David. Comparative Politics. London: Pearson, 2012. Print.Snyder, Richard and Samuels, David. “Devaluing the Vote in Latin America”. Journal of Democracy 12.1 (2001): 146-159.