New Models Of Democracy

Bolivia's Popular Participation Law: An Undemocratic Democratisation Process?

by David Altman

(2003)  In Axel Hadenius (Ed.), Decentralisation and Democratic Governance: Experiences from India, Bolivia and South Africa. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell International. pp: 63-104. [ISBN-10: 9174963147]. (With Rickard Lalander).

Conceptualizing and Measuring Democracy: A New Approach

by David Altman

[2011] Perspectives on Politics 9 (2): 247-267. (With Coppedge, Michael, John Gerring, Michael Bernhard, Steven Fish, Allen Hicken, Staffan Lindberg, Kelly McMann, Pamela Paxton, Carsten Schneider, Holli Semetko, Svend-Erik Skaaning, Jeffrey Staton, & Jan Teorell).

In the wake of the ColdWar, democracy has gained the status of a mantra. Yet there is no consensus about how to... more In the wake of the ColdWar, democracy has gained the status of a mantra. Yet there is no consensus about how to conceptualize and measure regimes such that meaningful comparisons can be made through time and across countries. In this prescriptive article, we argue for a new approach to conceptualization andmeasurement.We first review some of the weaknesses among traditional approaches. We then lay out our approach, which may be characterized as historical, multidimensional, disaggregated, and transparent.We end by reviewing some of the payoffs such an approach might bring to the study of democracy.

Rethinking Postcolonial Democracy: An Examination of the Politics of Lower-Caste Empowerment in North India

by Jeffrey Witsoe

Global Democracy

by Raffaele Marchetti

2010. in R.Denemark (ed.) ISA Compendium Project-Section on International Ethics, New York: Blackwell, 3007-3023

ETHICS OF DEMOCRACY & ELECTION COMMISSION OF PAKISTAN

by Chaudhry Hasham Hayat Wathra

Referring to the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s call for repudiation of criminal elements amongst the... more Referring to the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s call for repudiation of criminal elements amongst the political parties followed by the statement of Interior Minister Reman Malik revealing the fact that the target killers arrested in Karachi have close ties with the political parties, which give rise to the ethics of democracy putting the political parties under an obligation of self assessment to adopt more transparent and inclusive internal procedures where there is an extensive lack of expectation from the politicians and parties, and where there is growing interest in democratic self-determination. In these circumstances, changes made by the parties for their own benefits are regarded as in the best interests of the wider society. These transparent internal procedures adopted by the political parties are also beneficial for the stability and legitimacy of a democratic country.

Democracia y nuevas tecnologías: límites del enfoque tecnocrático para la comprensión de los problemas de la democracia representativa

by Noe Cornago

Democracy in Nepal: Four Models

by David Gellner

2007 in Seminar 576: 50-6.

Public Space as emancipation: meditations on anarchism, radical democracy, neoliberalism and violence

by Simon Springer

Springer, S. 2011. Public Space as emancipation: meditations on anarchism, radical democracy, neoliberalism and violence. Antipode: A Radical Journal of Geography. 43 (2), 525-562.

In establishing an anarchic framework for understanding public space as a vision for radical democracy, this article... more In establishing an anarchic framework for understanding public space as a vision for radical democracy, this article proceeds as a theoretical inquiry into how an agonistic public space might become the basis of emancipation. Public space is presented as an opportunity to move beyond the technocratic elitism that often characterizes both civil societies and the neoliberal approach to development, and is further recognized as the battlefield on which the conflicting interests of the world's rich and poor are set. Contributing to the growing recognition that geographies of resistance are relational, where the “global” and the “local” are understood as co-constitutive, a radical democratic ideal grounded in material public space is presented as paramount to repealing archic power in general, and neoliberalism’s exclusionary logic in particular.

To what extent would participatory democracy advance the cause of democracy in Pakistan, with particular reference to the tribal dimension?

by Latoya Mistral Ferns

Assessed Essay which I modelled the question for. This was for my International Politics of Democracy Promotion module, taught by Professor Peter Burnell. I confirm that this paper arises from my idea, and is merely backed up by secondary sources theoretically and in principle. I do believe that this can aid in spreading democracy in essence to the tribal areas of Afghanistan and possibly Libya too, given their strong tribal allegiances, potentially better than what is axiomatic of modern representative democracy, and can combine with this through asymmetric federalism, where necessary. This would make the axiom serve the people in a way that is flexible and necessary rather than people serving the axiom. Hopefully this should bring peace to these largely misunderstood areas and give them a say in their destiny. 

This paper is an enquiry into the extent to which institutionally designing Pakistani democracy, so as to optimally... more This paper is an enquiry into the extent to which institutionally designing Pakistani democracy, so as to optimally accommodate the challenges posited by the tribal regions through the implementation of participatory democracy, would advance the cause of democracy. Its speculative nature is validated and adequate given the failure of the only other ideological and axiomatic rival to liberal representative, the Great Experiment. Dearth of competition in real system terms posits the danger of democratic stagnation or decline in the face of undisputed dominance without incentive to innovate and improve. Schumpeter’s view of democracy as method rather than end demands the refining and revising of its methodology though ever-evolving and inclusionary institutional design to make it individually enabling and emancipatory. Democracy must  submit to a far more rigorous test, at both the normative level of democratic theory and in the world of practice , in keeping up to the “ordinary citizens’” expectations ‘long subordinated ideals of equality, participation, accountability, responsiveness and self-realization’.
Why have I targeted the Tribal Areas?
The Pakistani tribal areas stretch from Chitral in the northeast to Balochistan’s Mt. Suleiman’s southwest end and the Afghanistan-Pakistan 2430 km Durand line frontier, which is porous owing to the tribe’s preserved ancient ethno-tribal links and lifestyle. The centralist nature of the Pakistani state is out of touch with the tribal dimension and needs to incorporate it accommodatingly.
It would be wise to pre-empt tribal secessionist movement through regional equitable growth instead of the current unsustainable growth model that I call urban explosion, which could happen through a participatory system. 
The tribal region’s volatility owes its origin to the Cold War-era US-instigated Afghan expulsion of the USSR through using madarasahs to create radical fighters called mujahedeen. Participatory democracy would neutralize this.
There is a military anti-terror operation in Waziristan  which has led to retaliatory suicide bombs in Pakistan’s cities. The US not only supplies Pakistan with military hardware but is interested in a strategic partnership in civil sectors,  showing the US would not ipso facto be opposed to democratising the tribal areas for which the money exists in the form of the $7.5 billion Kerry Lugar aid bill to help the Pakistan balance ‘democratic imperatives with security requirements.’ 
The tribal areas have been notoriously troubled as they are thought of as non-governable, but troubles arise because the tribes feel disenfranchised.

Wikipedia, an exemple for electronic democracy? Decision, Discipline and Discourse in the Collaborative Encyclopedia

by Sylvain Firer-Blaess

Wikipedia and e-democracy projects have in common the establishment of a mass-scale decision process. The Wikipedian... more Wikipedia and e-democracy projects have in common the establishment of a mass-scale decision process. The Wikipedian method to discuss and reach consensus is described in this article by Sylvain Firer-Blaess, using the theoretical frame of Michel Foucault and Jurgen Habermas. Can this method be applied to various e-democracy projects? In part, provided that building a free encyclopedia is not the same as living the life of the city.

Participación ampliada y reforma del Estado: Mecanismos constitucionales de democracia participativa en Bolivia, Ecuador y Venezuela

by Clayton M. Cunha Filho

Pérez Flores, Fidel; Cunha Filho, Clayton M. y Coelho, André Luiz;  2010 “Participación ampliada y reforma del Estado: mecanismos constitucionales de democracia participativa en Bolivia, Ecuador y Venezuela” en OSAL (Buenos Aires: CLACSO) Año XI, Nº 27, abril.

Following the constitutional reforms in Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela, this paper reviews each Magna Carta in terms... more Following the constitutional reforms in Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela, this paper reviews each Magna Carta in terms of how civil society participation in decision making is conceived in the
corresponding nations. Particularly, it focuses on expanded  representation mechanisms, repeal of laws and termination of terms of office, foreign policy, accountability and popular control frameworks, law drafts, comanagement systems, and indigenous people’s autonomy. To finish, social society involvement in public affairs after constitutional reform is explored.