Democratic Governance as an Effective Form of Leadership - Essay Example

Democracy Introduction Forms of governance have received critics from political analysts in the recent past hence draw scholarly interest. Many leaders endeavor to meet the possible criteria of effective leadership but this is not in many time the case. Defined as the count for majority, democracy allows all the citizens of a country to participate and make political decisions. From these comprehensive researches, democracy has great diversity, introducing within itself other terms like direct democracy. This is the belief on the right of every citizen who are above a certain age bracket to participate effectively in political meetings and vote on matters discussed in the meeting. Direct democracy believes that all people who are within the rights limits should participate in the system to represent the people and ensure majority sound has the course. This participation should be regardless of the religious beliefs, gender, sexual preference, or physical well-being. The democratic right of a person can however be denied if one goes against the constitutional order (Citrin and Egan 112). The prisoners, for example, have suspension over their rights as long as one remains behind bars. Democracy applies only to those who have the right to but how many people bother to attend meeting especially if they are on working hours or after work? The most common system of democracy is the parliamentary democracy where individuals vote for leaders of their interest who represents them in the legislative assembly. This is the indirect form of democracy and is also known as representative democracy. In this type of democracy, people elect representatives who take decision for which they are answerable at the expiry of the contract. The voters thus have the opportunity to change their government although the extent of public opinion remains subject to debate (Constant 14). It is true that some people or specific groups of people have more weight in the voting or decision making of a country in the elections of a given country. Participatory democracy is globally acceptable; however, it is hard to practice in large countries, which are highly populated. Promoting democracy Parliament is the most central institution through which all people have their interests represented and expressed. In order, for the parliament to promote the rights of the entire population effectively, it must have had democratic election and should represent the interest of majority. The parliament should have the requisite power and means to represent the interest of the people in law making and oversight functions. Generally, institutions should reinforce political culture and guarantee the rule of law in ensuring that policy follows the preferred public sentiment. Democracy models that mimic the other democratic attributes are always under pressure of lapse or authoritarianism (Dworkin 187). Democratic institutions and political cultures should engage in public opinion to create transparency in the public business as well as debates that mark a liberal regime. Democracy is transferrable because it develops from a supportive political culture. However, democratic regimes can source without long preparation or development of a sophisticated political culture. The states are other bodies that can promote democracy of its citizens. Government has the duty to ensure that its citizens enjoy democratic rights. Different countries use different method to ensure democracy prevails in the country. Some countries use military force through diplomacy whereas others use ideological arguments. Generally democracy is a universal value and all people posses the right to govern themselves democratically. Good governance comes out of democracy and democracy facilitates prevention of human rights as well as economic growth (Shklar 35). Democratic organizations within a country promote good relation between the citizens. Generally, democratic peace hypothesis suggests that democracies are free of war to each other. Democracy promotion should not be under the control of the outdated fashion of sovereignty but instead should protect their population from ethnic cleansing. The government of any country should organize itself as the principle of democratic matters. Democratization Democratization is the transition of a country into a more democratic political phase. Democratization is a process of political change that moves the political system of a given society towards new governance system. The new governance has peaceful competition and participation of all the citizens and guarantees political and civil liberty (Walzer 98). Democratization captures the dynamic quality of democratic evolution in any society especially in the developing countries. Any given society lies within either the dictatorial rule or democratic rule at any given time. Many factors initiate sustained process of democratization and the varying economic, political, and social environments. Historically, the developing countries have maintained democratic systems that were inheritable from the developing countries. Political systems that came before transformation have varying authoritarian regimes across the African continent. Democratization involves transitions of a country from non-democratic state to democratic regime that occurs within a specified period and it signifies outnumbers transition in the opposite direction within the same period. Democratization can be through mobilization and peaceful demonstration-not riots or strikes. It is a general believe that polities become more peaceful in a country as it democratizes. The political arena of a country also changes towards greater political democracy as the democracy takes its course and reduces the probability of war occurring (Friedman 12). Democracy promotion International democracy promotion necessitates the breaking of domestic-international barrier and in developing theoretical knowledge on linkages of democratization. Individual countries have tried the much possible they can to promote democracy, notably the United States. United States is the most common facilitator of peace in the world as her democratic promotion effect is realistic in almost all the world countries. The European Union, the specific European governments, and other democracy promoting NGOs like the World Bank, United Nations, as well as other thousands of transitional network contribute greatly to the democratic promotion (Adams 19). Unite states is methodologically suspect in democratic promotion thus it is empirically flawed. In addition, other western European governments and supranational European institutions promote democracy in the world. Nowadays democracy promotion has been a directed towards specific regions as at different times following successful cases of democratization. Both political economy and democracy promotion have influences on the external change that occurs on the democratic development. Both internal and external facilitators have a direct impact to the promotion of democracy in any given country. The mix of independent and casual variables that result to political liberation may not likewise transform to transitions (Rosenblum 37). In regards of policy development, most donors have intensified efforts in improving the tools that are at their disposal in order to evaluate democracy assistance. These facilitators acknowledge that he major problem of democratic promotion is that it has infinite isolations from broader debates in the international dimensions of democratization. Therefore, there has been a knowledge-gap where the assessment of democracy has roots from more overarching political and international aspects of political change. These multilateral institutions or facilitators help reduce regional security risk between states and identify the patterns of democracy that suite a given country. They have democracy assistance programs that include potential sources of democracy assistance in the country's analysis (Walzer 107). The policies of these agencies occupy the center of attention of under the rubric and hegemony influence in the democracies of the victim countries. The need to promote democracy is very healthy for world institutions and facilitators to promote democracy of a country. Democracy in a given country has positive effects to the economic, political, and social set up of a country. Democracy increases economic freedom and hence facilitates economic growth. Most of the institutions that command the economy of a country require democracy to operate smoothly. For a successful breakthrough in any business freedom in form of independent legal form of operation as well as professional civil service and stable property must be available. Democracy limits the rent seeking because its checks and balances hinder the self-interest of leaders. Democracy reduces the continued advantage of the political leaders and enterprise directors as well as the effect of monopolization of enterprises (Jeremy 215). Democracy is an essential aspect in the pursuit to achieve development and human rights. Facilitators and institutions should promote in all aspects of living. Democracy is the best system of government as declared by Winston Churchill. It provides the best form of institutions and holds rulers accountable for to their people. However, the institutions of democracy are prevalent to abuse, bad rule and are prone to corruption. Democracy provides more stability and welfare of the people. They avoid the worst threats to human well-being like genocide or famine. Effects of democracy are very diverse and have been accountable for economic growth rates witnessed across the globe over the previous years. Economic modernization is more times better than the olden times dictatorial rule and has support from the world rulers as well as international organizations. Most of the government systems across the world have been advocating for democratic system of governance (Przeworski 67). Democracy has support from most of the world's countries and the international court of law recognizes it as the best form of administration where every citizen has a say over the government. Democracy is a universally valid and desirable goal as well as number of proponents. Democracy wherever it exists is culturally rooted and the societies with other cultural backgrounds may choose other forms of governance of their interests. Democracy promotes international relations as each country accepts the consensus to respect (Constant 39). Democracy in the world has played a great role in the election of leaders and national heads. People have been given rights choose leaders of their interest through liberal law and democracy. Countries should promote democracy and wipe out terror in the societies through involving them in long-term democracy-related activities. The administration or the world facilitators should come into terms with the authoritarian regimes and turn the blind eye of the antidemocratic practices carried out by these tyrant governments. The countries administration should set out strategic vision that will prominently feature democracy promotion in the entire country. This strategy should describe the national security and democracy promotion as well as doctoring the countries to realize full potential (Friedman 19). Whenever the administration encounters serious human rights violation or in democratic practices it should raise allegations over the perpetrator and make the later face the consequences. Countries should do this irrespective of neither the identity of the offender nor the circumstances of committing the crime. Democratic promotion has however been receiving many challenges of which many are unique among the world countries more so the multiethnic states. Each section of a society has a hindrance in democratic promotion. The victim countries can assume some strategies to overcome the violence and fragmentation of the multiethnic states in favor of democracy promotion. Historical, ethical, and social contexts have less consideration in multiethnic states in the verge of democratic promotion (Constant 61). Not all states however are able to resolve neither ethnic conflicts nor divisions but after all, they should strive to maintain high levels of democracy. Promotion of democracy is necessary for reflection of the national state and political censorship amongst millions of world citizens. This fact is net worth if resulted in the origination of movements among the ethnic groups in collaboration with the present regime. Countries should emphasize on democratic form of leadership. This is simply out of its benefits in promoting peace and rapport among the citizens of a country. It is true that countries, which practice democracy, have stable political government and is less vulnerable to war as compared to a dictatorial regime (Dworkin 194). Democracy is a fundamental way to secure and reassure freedom and has great impact on the economic development of any society. The government of any country should engage in long-term processes of democracy development. Democracy is an essential component of development and considers other important variables that are very essential in a national make-up. Conclusion In summary democratic governance is the most recent and effective form of leadership. This is because every citizen of the respective country is given chance to participate in the form of leadership he wants. Therefore, the probability of a war or wrangles occurring is minimal because every citizen feels fully presented. International facilitators and government of countries should encourage democracy and ensure it rooms over the whole country (Atulkholi 20). Countries should democratize to get the best form of leadership that is fully representative. Citizens of a country should have freedom to exercise their rights within a democratic oriented environment. Works Cited AtulKohli, “Introduction,” in AtulKohli, ed., The Success of India’s Democracy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001. 1-20. Print. Persily, Citrin, and Egan, eds.,Public Opinion and Contitutional Controversy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. 3-15, 81-105. Print. Constant, Benjamin. Democracy in America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. 3- 15; 149-54; 231-5. Print. Dworkin, Ronald. Sovereign Virtue. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2000. 184-203. Print. Friedman, Milton. Capitalism and Freedom. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1962. 7-21. Print. Jeremy, Waldron. Law and Disagreement. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. 211-231. Print. Przeworski, Adam. Democracy and the Market. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991. 66-88. Print. Rosenblum, Nancy. The Peloponnesian War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. Print. Shklar, Judith. American Citizenship. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1991. 25-62. Print. Walzer, Michael. Politics and Passions. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004. 90-109. Print. Read More