The United Nations University Is an Organ of the United Nations
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The United Nations University is an organ of the United Nations established by the General Assembly in 1972 to be an international community of scholars engaged in research, advanced training, and the dissemination of knowledge related to the pressing global problems of human survival, development, and welfare. Its activities focus mainly on peace and conflict resolution, development in a changing world, and science and technology in relation to human welfare. The University operates through a worldwide network of research and postgraduate training centres, with its planning and coordinating headquarters in Tokyo. The United Nations University Press, the publishing division of the UNU, publishes scholarly books and periodicals in the social sciences, humanities, and pure and applied natural sciences related to the University’s research. The changing nature of democracy The changing nature of democracy Edited by Takashi Inoguchi, Edward Newman, and John Keane United Nations a University Press TOKYO u NEW YORK u PARIS ( The United Nations University, 1998 The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations University. United Nations University Press The United Nations University, 53-70, Jingumae 5-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8925, Japan Tel: (03) 3499-2811 Fax: (03) 3406-7345 E-mail: [email protected] UNU Office in North America 2 United Nations Plaza, Room DC2-1462-70, New York, NY 10017 Tel: (212) 963-6387 Fax: (212) 371-9454 Telex: 422311 UN UI United Nations University Press is the publishing division of the United Nations University. Cover design by Joyce C. Weston Printed in the United States of America UNUP-1005 ISBN 92-808-1005-7 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The changing nature of democracy / edited by Takashi Inoguchi, Edward Newman, and John Keane. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 9280810057 (pbk.) 1. Democracy—History—20th century. I. Inoguchi, Takashi. II. Newman, Edward, 1970– III. Keane, John, 1949– JC421.C43 1998 321.8–ddc21 98-9061 CIP Contents 1 Introduction: The changing nature of democracy 1 Takashi Inoguchi, Edward Newman, and John Keane Definitions and criteria 21 2 Some basic assumptions about the consolidation of democracy 23 Philippe C. Schmitter 3 Fifty years after the ‘‘Great Transformation’’: Reflections on social order and political agency 37 Claus Offe 4 Toward consolidated democracies 48 Juan J. Linz and Alfred Stepan Democracy and social framework 69 5 Democracy and constitutionalism 71 Jean Blondel 6 Mass media and participatory democracy 87 Elihu Katz v Client: UNU/J J-8794 Inoguchi UNU11 Times_L (.01) .3 .05 .05 B/S: YPK 16/2 PMU: ELO 25/2 pp. v-vii Cont_P (p. 5) Contents 7 Party representation in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan 101 J.A.A. Stockwin Democracy and global forces 117 8 The democratization process and the market 119 Miha´ly Simai 9 Political representation and economic competitiveness: Is a new democratic synthesis conceivable? 136 Ian Marsh 10 A structure for peace: A democratic, interdependent, and institutionalized order 157 Bruce Russett Regional characteristics of democracy 171 11 Asian-style democracy? 173 Takashi Inoguchi 12 Post-communist Europe: Comparative reflections 184 Alfred Stepan and Juan J. Linz 13 Religion and democracy: The case of Islam, civil society, and democracy 213 Saad Eddin Ibrahim Invigorating democratic ideas and institutions 229 14 The Philadelphia model 231 John Keane 15 Democracy at the United Nations 244 Daniele Archibugi vi Client: UNU/J J-8794 Inoguchi UNU11 Times_L (.01) .3 .05 .05 B/S: YPK 16/2 PMU: ELO 25/2 pp. v-vii Cont_P (p. 6) Contents 16 A meditation on democracy 255 Bernard Crick Contributors 266 Index 270 vii Client: UNU/J J-8794 Inoguchi UNU11 Times_L (.01) .3 .05 .05 B/S: YPK 16/2 PMU: ELO 25/2 pp. v-vii Cont_P (p. 7) 1 Introduction: The changing nature of democracy Takashi Inoguchi, Edward Newman, and John Keane Democracy is widely advocated and sought, but its meaning is widely contested. At a time when democracy is proliferating geographically it is appropriate to re-examine the perennial debates of established democracies and the tensions and opportunities evident in transi- tional societies as they embrace democratic institutions and norms. Is democracy fulfilling its promise both in established democracies and in transitional societies? A re-examination is timely also because the nature of democracy is diversifying as it proliferates and is condi- tioned by cultural and political differences and varying stages of eco- nomic and social development. In turn, as democracy evolves in this way, a standard definition or model of democracy is increasingly elu- sive. Furthermore, as the global political, economic, and technolo- gical environments rapidly change, we need to examine how these changes have affected the nature of democracy. The language and aspirations of democracy are increasingly seen within the context of an emerging global ethos which purports to find points of unity in the human condition and perhaps even a fledgling global citizenship. Transparency, accountability, and performance more than ever before form the benchmark for authority, legitimacy, and ‘‘good governance,’’ promoted by global media and communica- tions. Subsequently, democracy is recognized as the primary vehicle for the fulfilment of individual and collective aspirations, the articu- lation of interests, and the nurturing of civil society. In turn, the ful- filment of human material and spiritual aspirations is increasingly seen to underpin both domestic and international peace and security. The wider conception of peace and security embraces all spheres of 1 Client: UNU/J J-8794 Inoguchi UNU11 Times_L (.01) .3 .05 .05 PMU: ELO 25/2 AC: WSL 9/4 pp. 1-19 CH1_P (p. 1) Takashi Inoguchi, Edward Newman, and John Keane life – economic, political, social, and environmental in addition to territorial and military security – and democracy is increasingly seen as an integral part of this matrix. Autocratic authority has been chal- lenged across the globe in a ‘‘worldwide movement toward democ- racy.’’1 As a part of the same process, the concept of democracy has been internationalized as never before, as state boundaries permeate issues that cause repercussions on all spheres of life across the globe. In addition to the geographic widening of democracy as a political system, there is a debate concerning its sphere of applicability. What areas of life are, or should be, subject to democracy and to the non- violent controversies about power within public spheres of debate and controversy? Definitions and criteria Democracy and democratic theory are largely conditional on differ- ing conceptions of citizenship, social needs, and human nature. These conceptions are in turn the result of social, cultural, and ideological variables. Clearly, the world reflects great diversity: the definition and criteria of democracy represent a major problem. Even the notion of a ‘‘definition’’ is contentious: should such foundational criteria be based upon procedural factors and institutions, or abstract outcomes? Yet, without an accepted definition of democracy, there will be no consensus in identifying problems associated with democracy and democratization. Without solid measures or concepts of democracy, the processes of democratization and democratic consolidation cannot be effectively monitored. However elusive and context dependent a definition of democracy is, the chapter by Juan Linz and Alfred Stepan on democratic consolidation (ch. 4) argues that certain gen- eral conditions must exist for a political system to be reasonably described as democratic. From the time of the Greek city democ- racies, perennial tensions have existed in trying to apply the ideal of government by the people: individual freedom and rights, collective goods, state cohesion, minority rights, and social justice all compete in this. Indeed, the central dialectic is the achievement of col- lective public goods and the aggregation of common values with- out threatening private individual rights and freedoms. Yet, what is the ‘‘common good’’? Where does the balance lie between efficiency and representation and legitimacy? The balance between these values represents a significant challenge for many political societies, as Bernard Crick’s ‘‘Meditation on Democracy’’ (ch. 16) observes. 2 Client: UNU/J J-8794 Inoguchi UNU11 Times_L (.01) .3 .05 .05 PMU: ELO 25/2 AC: WSL 9/4 pp. 1-19 CH1_P (p. 2) Introduction Moreover, the presence of identity groups – such as ethnicity and nationality – within many democratic polities exerts strains over and above these perennial democratic paradoxes. The history of democratic theory and practice has reflected a number of political models, often categorized as direct participatory democracy, one-party people’s democracy, social democracy, and liberal representative democracy. In the immediate post-Cold War context and with the ethos of the ‘‘end’’ of ideological history, the widely held assumption, especially in the West, has been that liberal democracy in the free-market context is the most efficient and equit- able organizing principle of modern society. Social and people’s democracies have effectively ceased to be contenders in the democ- racy debate in the post-Cold War world, and the demise of Keynesian welfare economics is now terminable. However, Claus Offe’s contri- bution on social order and political agency (ch. 3) argues that the ‘‘neo-liberal’’ environment