Revitalizing the state 4. reinventing the democratic state

Abstract

Although democracy evolved in the West, in this century it has been adopted by scores of developing societies, with several relapses to despotism and recoveries from it. The most common form of democracy is liberal democracy, with several distinguishing characteristics. However, there are several variants of liberal democracy. The more sustainable forms may be those that incorporate elements of associations, deliberative, and direct democracy. In poor countries, democracy may be sustainable if there is also reasonable macro-economic stability, welfare measures for the poor and the insecure, and effective strategy of rapid economic development whose fruits increasingly go to the poor and the under-privileged, and administrative effectiveness. Empirical research suggests that democratization, in conjunction with civil liberties and social empowerment though investment in education, health, etc. of the masses, enhances rather than inhibits economic growth. A number of mechanisms are available to make the democratic state and its organs more innovative and effective. These include innovations for fairer representation of the people in the legislature, for a more stable tenure of elected government, for improving the quality of people s representatives in the legislature, and for improving the competence and quality of political executives. It is argues that democracy has many advantages and some disadvantages also vis- -vis competing forms of the state, but it can be made sustainable, and the emerging world values are more in consonance with it than with the other forms.