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A Democratic Dilemma 1994 Dahl.md

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---
bibtex:  @article{dahl1994democratic,
          title={A democratic dilemma: system effectiveness versus citizen participation},
          author={Dahl, R.A.},
          journal={Political Science Quarterly},
          volume={109},
          number={1},
          pages={23--34},
          year={1994},
          publisher={JSTOR}
        }
---

A Democratic Dilemma: System Effectiveness vs Citizen Participation

Robert Dahl 1994

Dahl proposes a 2D conception of democracy that trades off effectiveness for responsiveness.

"It exists wherever and whenever the societies and economies within democratic states are subject to significant external influences beyond their control. It has, therefore, existed ever since the idea and practice of democracy evolved in ancient Greece 2,500 years ago." p24

The history of democracy can be viewed as consisting of three great transformation: p25

  • transformation of ancient city-states from non-democratic to democratic. Ancient greece to medieval italy. Focus of democratic activity was the assembly with significant citizen participation.
  • democracy moves from city-states to nation-states. Democracy characterised by representation and liberalism. USA, Western Europe.
  • reduced autonomy of nation-states owing to increased globalisation and interconnections. New global institutions like UN, EU, WTO etc

The current/third transition will see more sovereignty & power transferred to unelected officials. p27

Smaller systems hold out theoretical potential for greater citizen effectiveness (more resonsive) than larger ones. p28

This creates a paradox. Citizens in smaller systems can participate a great deal on issues that matter little, while participating little on issues that matter a lot. p28

The arithmetic of political participation holds that the more participants in a single decision, the less influence each member has (assuming political equality). p28

Even if transnational democratic institutions are created, they cannot overcome the limitations imposed by scale and time. p29

Federal systems violate the principle of individual equality by giving disproportionate weight to states & regions with smaller populations. p30

In representative democracies, the personal preferences of representatives carry more weight than that of the citizens represented. This will be even more exaggerated in international institutions. p30

"Democracy cannot be justified as merely a system for translating the raw, uninformed will of a majority into public policy". p30

International democratic institutions would place excessive burden on the people to digest knowledge required to make informed decisions. There would be even less chance to influence the agenda of decisions. p31