TRENDS

• Democracy


  A system of government based on the rule of the people
• People


  In the modern sense, citizens who are members of a political and socio-cultural community called the nation-state
• Forms of democratic rule

  • Representative democracy
  • Direct democracy
• Representative democracy


  • Citizens elect their government representatives in the different branches of government to rule on their behalf by creating legislation, executing laws, and implementing programs and policies
  • The elected officials are the source of law and public policies
  • The exercise of political authority is generally guided by the law and existing government policies
• Direct democracy


  • Allows people to decide on policies without any intermediary
  • Initiatives allow citizens to propose a measure that needs to receive enough signatures to be passed as a law
  • Recalls allow registered voters to gather signatures to remove an official from office
  • Referendums allow the people to decide whether or not to adopt a new policy
• Types of democracy


  • Classical democracy
  • Liberal democracy
  • Social democracy
  • Radical democracy
• Classical democracy


  • Democracy in its classical sense, refers to the system of government practiced in ancient Athens where citizens participated in discussions about the laws and the issues that affected the city-state
• Liberal democracy


  • Strikes a balance between individual rights and the general welfare
  • Focuses on the promotion of individual freedoms
• Social democracy


  • The government plays a crucial role in delivering social services such as education, health care, and transportation
  • Collective interests take precedence over individual aims
  • Values citizen participation and representation in addition to freedom, justice, harmony, and solidarity
• Radical democracy


  • Based on differences and contestation
  • Democracy must be adopted to other spheres of social life that people rarely consider as political such as the economy, religion, education, and the family
  • Values contending views
• Elements of democracy


  • Competition for power
  • Participation in civic and political life
  • Respect for individual rights
  • Rule of law
• Competition for power


  • Positions are filled through regular elections that should be free and fair
  • Suffrage is a fundamental right in a democracy
• Participation in civic and political life

  • Individuals have the right to vote and run for office
  • Involvement in affairs that affect their communities
• Respect for individual rights


  • Decisions must promote and respect the rights of individuals
  • The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights summarizes the fundamental rights of every individual
  • The Philippine Constitution's Bill of Rights outlines freedoms that the state cannot violate
• Rule of law


  • A standard for decision making based on impartial laws
  • A guarantee from irrational or unjust actions of any government, group, or individual
• Democratic practices


  • Free elections and vote-based systems
  • Citizen participation
  • Majority rule
  • Respect for minority rights
  • Constitutionalism
• Free elections and vote-based systems

  • The people possess the right to suffrage or the right to vote
  • Elections serve as the avenue to evaluate the performance of incumbent officials
  • The principle of "one person, one vote" is adopted in lawmaking bodies at national and local levels and in courts of justice
• Citizen participation


  • Refers to the various activities people engage in to influence political decisions
  • The participatory approach recognizes the voices of those who will be directly affected by a policy
  • Participation is said to be tokenistic if the people were involved for the sole purpose of fulfilling the requirements of the law
• Ways to participate in political affairs

  • Campaigning
  • Signing petitions
  • Attending consultations
  • Lobbying
  • Protesting
  • Joining political and civic groups
• Majority rule


  • Policies are implemented based on the agreement of a considerable number of people
  • An absolute majority is equivalent to 50% + 1 of the total voting population
  • Majority rule refers to the power of the people in a democracy
• Respect for minority rights

  • Individuals belonging to the majority and the minority possess equal rights
  • Members of minority groups often experience discrimination and various forms of exclusion
  • Affirmative action is a coherent packet of measures aimed at correcting the position of members of a target group
• Constitutionalism


  • A constitution is considered the highest law in a country
  • Constitutionalism ensures that the actions of government officials and ordinary citizens are within the bounds of democratic principles
• Democratic participation


  • Provides the constituents opportunity to influence public decisions and to be a component in the democratic decision-making process
  • A sign of a healthy democracy in a state or country
• Benefits of democratic participation

  • Better governance
  • Improved public service
  • Greater social unity
  • New opportunities
• Better governance


  • If the public is involved in social issues and the government is willing to listen, a dialogue can take place, leading to solutions that truly address the concerns and needs of the citizenry and the state
  • Transparency in governance and open communication between the government and the citizens lead to greater trust and harmony within the state
• Greater social unity

  • Active participation of various societal sectors in governance promotes harmonious relationships within the community and among social groups
• Improved public service

  • When the government understands the needs of the people, programs and projects for public service will improve, and issues will be addressed directly
  • When a great portion of the public demands for their needs to be met, the government is obliged to listen
• New opportunities

  • Democratic participation can bring about change in the community because it creates opportunities that will benefit everyone
  • Community participation fosters an understanding among citizens of the capacity and expertise of government institutions and allows the government to support its citizens as well
• Democratic equality


  Every member of society has basic rights and access to opportunities, resources, and assistance that will allow them to become fully functioning members of society
• Components of democratic equality

  • Equality of citizens within the democratic structure of society
  • Distributive justice
  • The satisfaction of the ideals of social equality
• Protection of minorities under a democracy

  • Minority rights need to be protected to ensure they too are able to fully participate in their country's democratic institutions
  • Minorities are identified based on national or ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identity
• Major concerns of minorities

  • Survival and existence
  • Promotion of identity
  • Equality and non-discrimination
  • Effective and meaningful participation