Understanding Democracy beyond Procedural Minimalism

Deliberative Democracy = Treats individuals as autonomous agents capable of reasoned judgements Contractarian View = Democracy represents fair terms of a social construct Other Standards of Democracy = Concerned with who rules, by what procedures, over what matters, within what limits, and with what degree of deliberation Schumpeterian Democracy = Arriving at political decisions through a competitive struggle for people's vote

Legitimacy of decision from a process of generalised deliberation = Deliberative Democracy Majoritarian decision making not sufficient democratic standard = Contractarian View Recognizes centrality of political competition in democracy = Schumpeterian Democracy Concern for protecting interests through equal citizenship rights = Other Standards of Democracy

Incorporation of individual judgements into collective decision making process = Deliberative Democracy Rule by the people defined as 'rule by the people' = Contractarian View Acquiring power to decide through a competitive struggle for people's vote = Schumpeterian Democracy Limiting abuse of power by distributing it evenly = Other Standards of Democracy

Direct rule in Athenian democracy = Model on which the concept is founded Challenges to liberal democracy = Emphasis on political participation over personal freedom Social democracy = Aims to promote freedom and equality in the economy Benefits of citizen participation in politics = Increased understanding and interest in politics

Implementation scale of participatory democracy = Can only be done in small setups Dialogue among equal individuals = Presupposed process for participatory democracy Weaknesses of representative democracies = Low voter turnout and lack of political understanding Opportunities for citizens in contemporary democratic life = Greater chance for direct involvement in politics

Procedural minimalism = Insists on minimal democratic procedures Populist democracy = Based on direct democracy and empowerment of popular will Deliberative democracy = Emphasizes discussion and deliberation in decision-making Inclusive citizenship = Enfranchisement of all adult members of the association

Free speech, press & association = Needed for political freedom Rule of law = Prevents arbitrary rule by public officials Formal voting equality = Ensures equality in the voting process Enfranchisement criteria = Includes all adult members except transients and mentally defective

Democracy as a political procedure = Views democracy solely as a system of competition Populist ideal of democracy = Focuses on people ruling themselves as free and equal beings Constraints on popular rule = Seen as undemocratic even if justified Substantive outcomes in democracy = Conflict with actual popular will and require specific results

Equal influence on outcomes = Not guaranteed by formal voting equality alone Unmanipulated political preferences = Essential for reflecting popular will Inclusive citizenship = Key for the populist ideal of people ruling themselves Governmental restrictions on freedoms = Challenged by the conception of democracy as free and equal rule