Can Democracy Survive in the Third World - Essay Example

Can Democracy Survive in the Third World This paper deals with an analysis of the various aspects of democracy and how it affects the third world nations. To begin with, it is imperative to understand the concept of democracy. Democracy has been best defined as "of the people, for the people, by the people." It is a phenomenon that arises out of the various contextual realities that people represent in various walks of life as well as the socio economic strata of individual countries. To qualify as a democracy, a country must fulfil the following criteria: " - political standing; quality of life; explanation." (Tilly, 2007; Pp 6)1 Third world countries are those under developed countries where the realities of life for most people are hunger, acute poverty and unemployment, among a variety of other factors. This paper seeks to answer the question of whether or not democracy can survive in these third world countries. (Tilly, 2007) There are various questions that need to be raised in this context which are as follows: Does democracy help when people are dying of hunger Are human rights a more important concept for these countries Can democracy quench the thirst of frequent social movements Is nationalism lost in the cause of supporting poverty Are the elements of democracy and legislative mechanisms any promise for development and progression In order to answer these questions, it is imperative to discuss the various elements of democracy. Context of Nationalism Nationalism is that phenomenon which stems from complete loyalty and love for one's nation. Under the influence of nationalism, a citizen forms his personal sense of identity in context of the broad characterization of the nation. This consequently leads to mass identity along the same lines when like minded persons get together - a phenomenon better described as national identity. Reversibly, the identity of a nation is formed by the sentiments, attitudes and broad cultural assimilation under which its people function. The theories of nationalism and national identity are complementary to each other, and these inspire entire generations. (Tilly, 2007) Two strong factor that influences nationalism is a legacy of colonisation along with the ethnic groups. These factors, when combined provide a series of influences on the culture, historical experience and other such aspects of a nation or a state. This is due to the fact that the effect of colonisation is most seen on the evolution of ethnic groups. This is of special importance when studying a state in a third world country, where ethnic groups and tribes are of paramount importance in the basic structure of the demographics. Third world countries have seen the ravages of colonisation and are still attached to strong ethnic sentiments, in most cases. This makes for a strong context for nationalism. Yet, the character of nationalism and national identity is not enough for the survival of democracy. Democracy requires the strong footing of policy in order to support development so as to maintain a focus on nationalism and not just fighting poverty and hunger. Participants in Public Policy Public policy may be defined as that state of things or action where the public authorities exercise their freedom of choice in order to deal with certain issues. The tools or mechanisms used to deal with these issues are known as public policy. Public policy may also be defined as a set of decisions that are interrelated to one another. These decisions in turn, are taken by political parties, or other individuals involved in social service, with the broad aim of selection of certain goals that will fit into the situation at hand. Public policy may be implements to various aspects of one's public and domestic life, including welfare, health, justice, feminist policies, and interest group conflict, among various others. (Dye, 2001, p. 4 to 7)2 In this context, the participants in the public policy process may be segregated into two categories. The first are the official participants comprising of government officials, authorities as well as political players. On the other hand are the non governmental or unofficial participants who come in the form of social workers, individuals lobbying for the interests of certain pressure groups, and even the average citizen. In the course of this paper we will try and differentiate between these two groups of participants in the policy process. To do so, we will start by delving into the various aspects of the policy process. When embodied in a person's life as a profession, the policy process becomes a matter of drawing on statistical information and basing decisions on various kinds of analysis before arriving at the factors that will influence the elements to be included in a certain policy. Considering the fact that this will greatly influence a normal citizen's life in various ways, the policy maker has to be doubly sure of the facts as he is responsible for a lot of people. In this context, an unofficial participant comes in where a reaction is required in order to point out any deviation from the larger aim, from the official participant's end. Also, when proposing the nuances of the issue to be dealt, the unofficial participant may put forward his views on how it should be dealt with in respect of the particular interest or group he is representing. It depends on how the official participant decides to make use of these views in the policy process. But the fact remains that in today's world, the unofficial participant's voice has greater reach due to globalisation and the rise of the public sphere through the advent of the media, which further lends significance and forces the official participant to pay attention to the needs represented by the unofficial participant. (Anderson, 2002, p. 2 to 10)3 Further, while the official participant might seek to primarily set up a coordinated framework for dealing with the issues at hand, the unofficial participants simply choose the inroads that it may take in reaching its suggestions and views to the official participants. Another important difference is the fact that the official participant might follow the lawful method for reaching a goal, while the unofficial participant might adopt more creative methods and make use of the media, coalitions, etc, for reaching the same goal. In third world countries, public policy and its participants need to stay focussed on the raising of issues that will benefit the very core of its socio economic make up apart from catering to all section of this structure. The public sphere needs to be used a mouthpiece of the interests of the lowest class in the socio economic structure for democracy to survive. Concept of Federalism in Public Policy Making Federalism is essentially a concept surrounded by political philosophy. According to this concept, a nation that follows federalism is one that believes in binding it various people, from diverse corners of the world, together. Federalism is that system which brings people together under the able guidance of a representative who puts forward their issues without an iota of partiality. Under federalism, the nation looks at each of its citizens as equals and as brothers who are bound together geographically as well as in respect of national sentiment. The nation that follows federalism is one that follows the principles irrespective of age, caste, creed, race, origin or colour. From the concept of federalism have come various other schools of thought, which have culminated into sub concepts in their own right. One of these is the concept of dual federalism according to which the best option before any government or nation is to organize itself into separate yet equal branches of government so as to divide the state and national government in various spheres of functioning and significance. According to this, the state government may exercise sovereignty within its own boundaries while the national level authorities will be slated to have exclusive and enumerated powers. Another concept that has branched out from federalism is that of cooperative federalism. According to this school of thought, the best course of action is to establish a strong network of consumer cooperative societies through which cooperative wholesale societies will be formed in order to undertake the purchase of farms and factories. According to federal cooperatives, the proceeds and profits thereof would be paid as dividends to the member cooperatives instead of the workers. (Anderson, 2002, p. 2 to 10) Having studied the various aspects of federalism, it would be imperative to state that the public policy making process is greatly influenced by the concept of federalism. To start with, one must understand that the public sphere is an important tool in today's world of growing awareness and even greater media influence. In this regard, through the proponents of federalism, the role of political players as well as official participants in the public policy making process is clearly etched out with mass public representation. Federalism not only binds people and their efforts together, it also provides a platform where issues can be addressed and solved. This gives impetus to the process of following the correct direction in public policy making. Finally, it is crucial for federalism to continue to grow as an important factor in the public policy making process so as to make sure that there is sustained growth and development of all sections of the society and nation as a whole. Federalism as a concept is an important mechanism in the healthy functioning of the public sphere where decisions are made and affected for implementation in the public policy making process in Third World countries. For a healthy survival of democracy, it is imperative to apply federalism in mechanism of public policy at the very grassroots level as far as the effects of such policies is concerned. This will garner better support for democracy in the public sphere in Third World countries. (Dye, 2001, p. 4 to 7) Character of Socio Economic Movement A wide variety of new historians has linked the past more strongly to the present. According to this new breed, the past is unknowable. History reflects the need of historians to make sense out of their own worlds. Opening the practice of history to groups previously excluded from the profession has demonstrated the validity of the recent views. Views of the past vary with generations and because of divergent experiences from the historians sex, ethnicity, class, and race. When we read history, we are reading a particular historian's encounter with the world. The historian is devoted to the facts. He or she spends years of his or her life studying the archives. The historian believes that his or her story represents reality. Historians can be characterized by nationality, school of thought, or theoretical and methodological preference. Ethnic groups have been described in the study of history and anthropology as the indigenous people of a certain geographical location. These people are the precursors of the particular national identity as well as the ethics, culture and elements of sub culture that have come to dominate an entire race and country. In fact, the word 'Ethnic Groups' signifies people who have lived in a certain place 'from the beginning'. These people are the ones who render religious and cultural significance to long standing rituals practiced even today. (Morris, 1984)4 The study of culture and evolution of the human ethics and lifestyle can be studied through an analysis of ethnic groups and society. The above words demonstrate the fact that colonisation has been the root cause of creating a rift between traditional beliefs and the evolution of human culture in the ethnic society in various countries, especially those belonging to the Third world sphere. The evolution of myths and other such practices into the beginnings of a more modernised society was brought to a halt by colonisation, which quashed any scope for imbibing the traditional values into the evolution of a more modern society in Third World. While the lack of traditional values renders any society incomplete, it may also be seen, as depicted in the above words, that the full stop to the this activity rendered the values and ethics of the Ethnic Groups in Third World countries as irrelevant for times to come. A social movement is one that is punctuated with a highly idealistic environment with realistic parameters that set the stage for immediate results and emergence of future trends that will go onto dominate the structure and functioning of that particular society for generations to come. Issues like principles, revolutionary change and personal strength and a search for identity of a group of people or society, are synonymous with social movements. (Morris, 1984) For the measurement of success of any social movement, factors like skilful organisation, optimum use of resources and the identification of opportunities, are vital indicators. Literature has always been a strong medium to convey the ideas that are contained in social movement. These theories are of special importance when speaking of democracy in Third World Countries, and the survival of the same. The colonial experience in most Third World countries has been such that it has given rise to a variety of political and social outbursts. The political motives have been a major influence on the social campaigns in various Third World Countries. This has a strong implication as far as the survival of democracy is concerned. This has a strong nexus with the character of colonisation that has marked the state. Of late, though, it may be seen that the slump of the economy and the rise of factors like hunger and poverty have prompted the social movements to take on a more humanitarian character. Colonisation leaves any country or state in a slump. Like any newly independent state, a Third World country too is struggling to overcome difficulties in understanding and linking matters of constitutional importance with those of hunger, poverty, unemployment and many other such factors. The human rights angle is another one that has caught the country in its grip following the rise of ethnic tantrums in the wake of identity crises that have risen following independence. A social movement does not end merely after gaining a certain result - the after effects are felt for times to come. (Auyero, 2001)5 This has been the case in Third World countries. After the fight for independence, it has had to take a stock of its resources that were heavily depleted in the social movement so as to make the best of the situation in terms of providing basic amenities. In this regard, as is the case with most countries and states, there were a number of losers in terms of entire communities. Thus, the cause of human rights in terms of real freedom for people suffering from these after effects has been sought in recent times. (Auyero, 2001) Conclusion The discussion of the above elements will reveal that the survival of democracy is crucial for the transition of Third World countries to developing countries. The basic finding of this paper is that for the survival of democracy in these countries, there is a need to focus resources and policy changes on the basic human rights. This will intensify the support for democracy. This must be done through the use of official and non official participants in the policy making process, besides the use of mechanisms like federalism in order to reach out to maximum number of people in every strata of the socio economic make up the Third World Countries. Another important aspect of the survival of democracy in these countries is the able leadership of a party or a person who can best represent the interests of all classes of society. A major aspect of the survival of democracy in such countries is to start by eradicating class barriers and making use of constitutional mechanisms to create a more equitable society. (None, 2004)6 References: 1. Anderson, James E (October, 2002) Public Policy Making: An Introduction (6th Edition). London: Houghton Muffin Company. 2. Dye, Thomas R (June, 2001) Understanding Public Policy (11th Edition). London: Prentice Hall. 3. None, George B. (2004) New Frontiers of Leadership. USA: Information Age Publishing Inc. 4. Morris, Aldon D. (1984) The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement. Collier Macmillan Publishers, London. 5. Auyero, Javier (2001). Poor People's Politics. Duke University Press, London. 6. Tilly, Charles (2007) Democracy. Cambridge University Press. Read More