13 - Democracy, its bright and its dark sides

Summary

In talking about democracy we sometimes talk about a goal of participation in governance, whereas on other occasions we speak about institutions that are more or less adequate for such a goal. In this chapter the focus will be on democratic institutions in modern societies. So the dark side of democracy exposed here is not that of the goal of participation in governance but that of modern democratic institutions. In fact, it is vital for the interests of the dominated that the goal of participation in governance continue to be pursued, even if this means changing democratic institutions as we know them.

In a democracy of the kind found in our period, there is a system of representing citizens. Specifically, a democracy is a system of representation that gives citizens a right to participate in governance through their selection of those who will exercise state power by an established form of voting. The selection of some state leaders may not be made directly by the vote, but it must at least be made by other state leaders who are themselves selected directly by the vote. However, the degree of participation in governance guaranteed by democratic institutions varies considerably.

The democratic goal of participation can be realized by current democratic institutions only through the selection of representatives. To realize it more fully would require, in addition, independent popular bodies whose decisions are not ignored by representatives.