Outcomes of Democracy

How can you say that democracy is a better form of government when compared with dictatorship or any other alternative? 

1. Promotes equality among citizens: Every citizen enjoys a Universal Adult Franchise, One Person, One Vote, One Value. 

2. Enhances the dignity of the individual: All citizens are equal before the law irrespective of their background. 

3. Improves the quality of decision-making: Effective participation of citizens from the grassroots level due to decentralisation. 

4. Provides a method to resolve conflicts: All legislation is open for public debate and discussions. The judiciary resolves all disputes. 

5. Allows room to correct mistakes: Leaders can make amends. The constitution is also amended and updated. 

How does democracy produce an accountable, responsive, and legitimate government? 

Accountable: 

1. In a democracy, we are most concerned with ensuring that people will have the right to choose their rulers and people will have control over the rulers. 

Responsible: 

1. Whenever possible and necessary, citizens should be able to participate in decision-making, that affects them all. 

2. The democratic government develops mechanisms for citizens to hold the government accountable and mechanisms for citizens to take part in decision-making whenever they think fit. 

Legitimate: 

1. A democratic government is a legitimate government. 

2. It is people’s own government. That is why, there is overwhelming support for the idea of democracy all over the world. 

3. People wish to be ruled by representatives elected by them. 

4. Democracy’s ability to generate its own support is itself an outcome that cannot be ignored. 

How do democracies ensure transparency? 

1. Democracy ensures that decision-making will be based on norms and procedures. 

2. So, a citizen who wants to know if a decision was taken through the correct procedures can find this out. 

3. She has the right and the means to examine the process of decision-making. This is known as transparency. Eg: RTI. 

If democracies are expected to produce good governments, then is it not fair to expect that they would also produce development?
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If you consider all democracies and all dictatorships for the fifty years between 1950 and 2000, dictatorships have slightly higher rates of economic growth. How? 

1. Economic development depends on several factors: the country’s population size, global situation, cooperation from other countries, economic priorities adopted by the country, etc. 

2. The difference in the rates of economic development between less developed countries with dictatorships and democracies is negligible. 

3. We cannot say that democracy is a guarantee of economic development. But we can expect democracy not to lag behind dictatorships in this respect. 

4. When we find such a significant difference in the rates of economic growth between countries under dictatorship and democracy, it is better to prefer democracy as it has several other positive outcomes. 

How do democracies help; in the accommodation of social diversity?
(or)
Do democracies lead to peaceful and harmonious life among citizens?
(or)
It will be a fair expectation that democracy should produce a harmonious social life. 

1. Democracies usually develop a procedure to conduct their competition. This reduces the possibility of these tensions becoming explosive or violent. 

2. It is necessary to understand that democracy is not simply rule by majority opinion. The majority always needs to work with the minority so that governments function to represent the general view. Majority and minority opinions are not permanent. 

3. It is also necessary that rule by the majority does not become rule by the majority community in terms of religion or race or linguistic group, etc. 

4. Rule by majority means that in the case of every decision or in the case of every election, different persons and groups may and can form a majority. 

5. Democracy remains democracy only as long as every citizen has a chance of being in majority at some point of time. 

"Democracy has so many exams. And millions of examiners!". Explain. 

1. When we ask people about the way democracy functions, they will always come up with more expectations, and many complaints. 

2. The fact that people are complaining is itself a testimony to the success of democracy. 

3. It shows that people have developed awareness and the ability to expect and to look critically at power holders and the high and the mighty. 

4. Democracy transforms people from the status of a subject into that of a citizen. 

5. Most individuals today believe that their vote makes a difference to the way the government is run and to their own self-interest.