Liberal Democracy 
Electoral Democracy 
& the Quality of Democracy 


Regime Types 


I. 
Electoral Democracy 
II. 
Liberal Democracy 
III. 
The Quality of Democracy 
IV. 
Varieties of Authoritarianism 
Competitive Authoritarian Regimes 
Other (hegemonic) Electoral Authoritarian 
Military and one-party rule 
Totalitarian regimes 
What is 
Electoral Democracy? 


.A system of government at the level of the 
nation-state 
.A means for the people (with equal political 
rights as citizens) to choose their political 
leaders and (if they wish) to replace their 
leaders in regular, meaningful, free, and fair 
elections 
.Sufficient freedom for elections to be 
meaningful, free and, fair 
Regular Elections 

at constitutionally prescribed intervals 
-presidential system (fixed term, 4-6 years) 
-parliamentary system (no later than every 4-5 

years, typically) 
No delays or suspensions outside the law 
and the constitution 

Meaningful Elections 


Elections should be consequential: They should 
decide who really exercises effective power in 
the country 

No “reserved domains of power” 
No supreme authority that is beyond electoral 
accountability (Iran, Morocco) 
No ability of a higher authority (e.g., monarchy, 
the military) to set aside unpleasant outcomes 
Elections are Free when: 























































Low barriers (legally and practically) to enter the 

political arena 

Freedom of candidates and parties to campaign 

and mobilize support 

Freedom of people to assemble, advocate and 

vote, free of fear 

Secret ballot 

Low Political Violence 

Broader climate of freedom: of speech, press, 

movement, assembly, & association 

Elections are Fair when 



A reasonably level playing field exists between ruling 

and opposition parties 


1. 

Neutral, competent, & professional electoral 

administration 

2. 

Politically impartial police, military, courts 

3. 

Broad access to the public media 

4. 

Fair drawing and apportionment of electoral 

districts 

5. 

Incumbents do not grossly abuse their office to 

advantage the ruling party 

Elections are fair when [cont.] 



6. 

Independent monitoring of the voting and vote 

counting 

7. 

Full universal adult suffrage: no significant 

group of adults is excluded from the right to 

vote 

8. 

Secret ballot 

9. 

Effective methods to ensure accurate vote 

count 

10. Established, impartial means to resolve election 

complaints and disputes 

Liberal (High-Quality) Democracy 


1. Democracy: “Majority rule” 

Popular sovereignty and control over government 

Competition, participation, vertical accountability, 

responsiveness 


2. Liberal government: “Minority rights” 

Freedom, Equality, Civic Culture 


3. Republican government: “Good Governance” 

Rule of law, horizontal accountability, state 

effectiveness 


Components of 

Liberal (or High-Quality) Democracy 



1. Liberty: Extensive freedoms of: 

Speech 

Press (print and broadcast) 

Association 

Assembly, and peaceful protest 

Movement 

Thought and belief 

Religion & religious practice 

Language, identity, cultural expression 

Liberty (Freedom) cont. 

and freedoms from: 


Torture 

Warrantless search and seizure 

Corrupt demands and impositions 

Violence and coercion by state and non-state 

actors 

Liberal Democracy 2: Rule of Law 



protects rights of citizens, maintains order, & limits 

power of government 


All citizens are equal under the law 

No arbitrary arrest, exile, or imprisonment 

No one is above the law 

Government power is limited; no official 

may violate these legal and constitutional 

limits 

The courts are independent in structure and 

in fact 

Rule of Law, cont. 



.Right to know the charges against you, 

presumption of innocence 


.Right to a fair, speedy, and public trial by an 

impartial court 


.No one may be taxed or prosecuted except by 

a law established in advance 


.No one may be subjected to torture or cruel 

and inhumane treatment 


Liberal Democracy 3: 

Horizontal Accountability 



Power is separated and dispersed among 

multiple, independent branches and 

institutions of government (checks & 

balances) 


Executive power is limited, constrained and 

scrutinized by an independent legislature, 

judiciary, and other institutions 

Horizontal Accountability, cont. 



.Independent institutions to monitor & 

control corruption & abuse of power 



Counter-corruption commission 

Ombudsman (public complaints comm) 

Parliamentary investigative committees 

Supreme audit agency (GAO) 

Prosecutors and courts 

National electoral commission 

Central Bank 

Liberal Democracy 4: 

Civilian Control of the Military, Police, 

and Intelligence 



Armed forces are directed by and 

subordinate to civilian elected officials and 

their appointees 

Elected, civilian commander in chief 

Top military command appointments are 

made or approved by civilians 

Civilian Control of the Security Sector, cont. 



.Budgets of armed forces, intelligence and 

other state security agencies are reviewed, 

understood, and approved by civilian executive 

and legislative authorities 


.Professional civilian capacity in defense 

ministry, presidential (or PM) office, and 

parliamentary committees to supervise 

military and security agencies 



Civilian Control of the Security Sector, cont. 



.Armed forces and intelligence agencies may 

not operate domestically except under 

extraordinary & explicit constitutional 

circumstances, with close civilian supervision 


.Armed forces are non-partisan, non-political 



.Police are professional, depoliticized, and 

supervised and monitored by democratic, 

civilian authorities 


Liberal Democracy 5, Competitiveness 



At least two political parties with significant 

representation in parliament and a 

meaningful chance to win control of national 

government 

Low barriers to entry of new political parties 

No gerrymandering of electoral districts 

(independent commission) 

Open, fair access to the mass media for all 

Competitiveness, cont. 



.Limited or no use of government resources to 

reelect ruling party 


.Virtually no vote buying or other electoral 

fraud 


.Balanced access to party and campaign finance 



Public funding of parties and campaigns? 

Public guarantees of TV & radio air time? 

Limits on campaign expenditures? 

.Over time, electoral alternation 

(ruling parties lose) 


Liberal Democracy 6, Civic Pluralism 


Numerous NGOs and interest groups represent a 

broad range of interests and values in society 

NGOs, think tanks monitor the political process, 

expose abuses, and lobby for political reform 

Alternative sources of information: 

public has access to varied mass media, 

independent of government control. 


Very limited government ownership and 

regulation of the mass media 

Independent public broadcasting 

Liberal Democracy 7, 

Vertical Accountability 

The people hold their agents (public officials) 

accountable to them 


Type 1: Electoral Accountability 


Party system is sufficiently competitive, 

Competition is sufficiently fair, 

Voters are sufficiently informed and aware of 

their interests, 

So that elected officeholders can be 

periodically held accountable, and removed 

for bad performance 


Vertical Accountability, cont. 



Type 2: Societal Accountability 


Civil society is sufficiently pluralistic, resourceful, 

and independent of government, 

Mass media are sufficiently independent and 

professional, 

Public is sufficiently vigilant and mobilized, 

So that unpopular policies & abuses of power 

can be challenged and reversed. 


Liberal Democracy 8: Participation 


Citizens take an active role in politics & the making 

of public policies and decisions 


High rates of voter turnout 

Extensive public awareness of major issues, 

government conduct, & party positions on issues 

High membership rates & active participation in 

civil society organizations (CSOs) 

Individuals and CSOs petition and lobby 

government 

Liberal Democracy 9: Equality 



Citizens have relatively equal political resources, 

at least in education, organization, and 

citizenship rights 

Women have substantial representation (ideally, 

one-half) in the cabinet, parliament, and other 

representative bodies 

Economic inequalities are not so severe that 

they rob large groups of political voice and 

power 

Equality, cont. 



.Ethnic minorities have representation in 

parliament, & provincial & local legislatures, in 

rough proportion to their shares of the 

population 


.All citizens are treated equally by government 

agencies and institutions (including the 

judiciary), regardless of their class, region, 

religion, ethnicity, gender, party, or beliefs 


Liberal Democracy 10: Responsiveness 



Government Responds to Citizen Demands and 

Preferences 


Government changes its policies in response to 

clear, consistent, and fairly deliberated 

expressions of majority preference 

There is substantial correlation over time between 

government policies and citizen preferences and 

desires 

Responsiveness, cont. 



Aggrieved groups of citizens are able to win 

redress of wrongs and abuses committed by 

government 

Significant manifestations of citizen interest and 

protest are able to have access to the public 

agenda, and to be heard by legislative and 

executive bodies 

Liberal Democracy 11, Civic Culture 

Competing parties and groups are: 


Tolerant of opposing views & groups 

Law-abiding, & respectful of the 

constitution 

Peaceful, and rejecting of violence 

Willing to compromise 

Unwilling to coalesce with undemocratic, 

anti-system actors 

Civic Culture, cont. 



The vast majority of citizens & groups 


.Believe in the legitimacy of democracy 


.Are loyal to the constitutional system 


.Know their rights & obligations as citizens 



.Respect the outcome of elections 


.Question but respect authority 


.Condemn acts of intolerance and violations of 


constitutional norms 



Liberal Democracy 12, 

State Effectiveness 



The state has legitimate authority: It is widely 

viewed as having the right to make and 

enforce laws, exercise a monopoly of force, 

and extract and distribute resources 

The state has administrative capacity: A 

professional, meritocratic, honest, and 

politically neutral bureaucracy is able to 

regulate, tax, maintain order, and produce 

public goods 

Types of Authoritarian Regimes 



Types of Authoritarian Regimes 



1. Electoral Authoritarian 

a. Competitive Authoritarian 

b. Hegemonic Party Systems 

2. One-party authoritarian regimes 

3. Military regimes 

4. Personal dictatorships 

5. Absolute monarchies 

6. Totalitarian regimes 

Electoral Authoritarianism 



Contested elections 

“Elected” 

government 

Some opposition presence in parliament 

Some degree of political pluralism 

But one or more factors contradict democracy: 

Elections are not free &/or not fair 

Unelected sources of supreme power 

Effective domination by ruling party 

Competitive Authoritarianism 



Multiparty elections, political pluralism 

Significant opposition in parliament 

Significant opp vote for president 

Opposition may control one or more subnational 

governments (Malaysia) 

Elections are not free &/or not fair; tilted playing 

field 

Still: some degree of uncertainty; opposition may 

achieve victory (Serbia, Ukraine) by exceptional 

mobilization 

Some contemporary cases of 

Competitive Authoritarianism 



.Existing for some time 

Malaysia, Lebanon, Tanzania, Uganda 

.Descended from electoral democracy 

Venezuela, Nigeria, Kenya, the Philippines 

Georgia, Nicaragua?, Sri Lanka? 

.Ascended from more extreme authoritarian 

Pakistan, 

Hegemonic Authoritarian 



There is a facade of multiparty elections 

But the ruling party wins crushing victories in 

almost all elections 

There is very little opposition representation in 

parliament and it has virtually no influence 

There is very little or no pluralism in the media 

The ruling party is not just dominant but a 

hegemon that towers over, coopts, or subverts all 

opposition 

Some Contemporary Cases of 

Hegemonic Authoritarian Regimes 



Existing for some time 

Singapore, Algeria, Cambodia 

Descended from Democracy 

Russia 

Formerly one-party states 

Angola, Ethiopia 

Kazakhstan, Belarus, Azerbaijan (USSR) 

Other Authoritarian Regimes 


One-party regimes (political opposition is 

legally suppressed, and competitive elections 

are not held) 

China, Vietnam, Laos, Cuba (Communist One-

party states but no longer totalitarian) 

Personal dictatorships (. 

hereditary) 

Gaddafi in Libya, Assad in Syria, Karimov in 

Uzbekistan, Nazarbayev in Kazakhstan, Bongo in 

Gabon, Eyadema in Togo 

Classic historical case: Mobutu in Zaire 

Other Authoritarian Regimes, cont. 



Absolute Monarchies 

Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, UAE, Brunei, Swaziland 

Monarchies with electoral elements 

Morocco, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain 

Military rule 

Largely gone as a regime form 

Remains de facto in Burma and Sudan 

Totalitarian (mobilizational) Rule: North Korea 

Is the World Becoming More 

Democratic? 



Larry Diamond 



The Global Expansion of Democracy, 1974-2011 



Electoral Democracies Liberal Democracies 


75.0% 


62.5% 


65.0% 


55.0% 


45.0% 


35.0% 


25.0% 


29.1% 

33.5% 

37.0% 

45.7% 

58.1% 

59.9% 58.8% 

23.6% 

26.1% 

30.5% 

33.0% 

35.9% 

41.1% 

39.7% 

20.9% 


15.0% 


Year 


Expansion of Liberal Democracy 


About two-thirds of the world’s democracies 


(77) are reasonably high-quality or “liberal”: 

.electoral competition is institutionalized, fair, 

and open, 

.civil liberties are better protected, 

.there is a rule of law 

.there are low levels of political violence and 

abuses or impunity by state security services. 

Democracy by region, 2012 



100 100 


85 

60 

42 

83 

37 

16 

52 

40 

13 

67 

14 

10 

20 

30 

40 

50 

60 

70 

80 

90 

100 

% of totalDemocracy 

Liberal 

Democracy 

Eur/Anglo LAC EE+FSU Asia Pacific Is. SS Africa MENA 


Democracy by Country Population 



% of Countries 


100% 


97% 

90% 

80% 

70% 

60% 

50% 

40% 

30% 

20% 

10% 


3% 


0% 


27% 

33% 

29% 

36% 

20% 

83% 

64% 

58% 

48% 

55% 

50% 

36% 

42% 

52% 

45% 

50% 

> 100 million > 50 million > 10 million > 1 million > 500,000 < 500,000 


Liberal Democracies 



Electoral Democracies 

Authoritarian 

Global Trends in Freedom 1974-2011 



World Developing World 


1.0 


1.5 


2.0 


2.5 


3.30 


3.22 


3.0 


3.5 


4.0 

4.5 

5.0 

4.47 

4.31 

4.24 

3.85 

3.64 

3.48 

5.05 4.84 4.76 

4.35 

4.08 

3.89 

3.61 

3.70 

5.5 

6.0 

6.5 

Year 


Regional Trends in Freedom 1974-2011 



CEE LAC Asia-Pacific SS Africa 

FSU MENA CEE LAC 

Asia-Pacific SS Africa FSU MENA 


1.0 


1.5 


2.0 


2.5 


3.0 


3.5 

4.0 

4.5 

5.0 

5.5 

6.0 

6.5 

7.0 

1.97 

2.62 

2.37 

2.42 2.41 

3.70 

3.81 3.54 

4.19 

3.86 

4.42 

4.50 

4.44 

4.33 

5.17 5.21 5.28 5.32 

5.21 

5.45 5.36 5.50 

6.19 

6.50 


Year 

The Democratic Recession 



The expansion of democracy peaked in 2006 

at 62.7% of all states. Since then it has 

declined from 121 to 113 democracies. 

Five consecutive years of declining freedom 

scores, losses outpacing gains. 

Democratic Recession cont. 



The rate of democratic breakdown since 1999 

has been nearly twice the pace of the 

preceding 12 years. 

26 breakdowns or reversals of democracy 

since 1999. 

These have come in some large strategic 

states: 

Pakistan, Russia, Nigeria, Venezuela, Thailand, 

Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Kenya. 

Ratio of Gains to Declines in Freedom, 1991



2011 



0.0 

0.5 

1.0 

1.5 

2.0 

2.5 

3.0 

3.5 

Year 


Rate of Democratic Breakdown 

1974-2011 



16.00% 

11.72% 

19.86% 

31.95% 

0% 

5% 

10% 

15% 

20% 

25% 

30% 

35% 

Time Period 


Freedom before Democratic Breakdowns 1999



2011 


Political Rights Civil Liberties 


1.0 


1.5 


2.0 


2.5 


3.0 


3.5 


4.0 


4.5 


5.0 


5.5 


6.0 


6.5 


7.0 



Why Democracy is in Danger 



1. Weak Rule of Law 

Corruption, abuse of power 

Abuse of ind rights, impunity 

Violence, criminality, lawlessness 

2. Executive abuse of power; 

weak constraints on executives by 

constitution, parliament, civil society 

Why Democracy is in Danger 2 



3. Ethnic & religious divisions 

4. 

Weak & Ineffective Political 

Institutions (parties, parliaments, 

systems of horizontal 

accountability) 

5. 

Poor Economic Performance 

Poverty, inequality, injustice. 

BAD 

GOVERNANCE 





Posted by MSNU