Review Article Divided Societies and Deliberative Democracy

Among comparative scholars there is a continuing debate about which kinds of institutions would work best for stabilizing peace in ethnical divided societies. In general, they agree on the necessity of democratic institutions. The question is whether these institutions should be built on the principle of inclusion or moderation (O‘Flynn 2007: 731). O‘Flynn is reviewing the work of Arend Lijphart and Donald Horowitz, the two main characters of this debate. While Lijphart focuses on inclusion with his consociational democracy (ibid.: 734), Horowitz‘s incentives-based approach deals with moderation (ibid.: 736). The author enters the discussion by pointing out that inclusion and moderation are co-requirements for the fundamental issue of†¦show more content†¦Similar to the reasoning of Dryzek (2005: 224) communication must be reflective in order to allow people to change their opinion. However, in post-conflict societies deep differences, ethnic cleavages, and hatred prevail. Even for Western democratic societies the assumption of broad reciprocity seems to be a normative desire rather than empirical evidence. Second, complete inclusion in terms of publicity is illusive. Nowadays, most societies are too big to allow each citizen to discuss all issues and policies, and arrive at a compromise. On the one hand, there is not enough time for everyone to participate, and, on the other hand, nothing would ever get done. Also, people must be interested in what is going on. It appears questionable to what extent it is possible to motivate the public discourse. The interest in the happening has to come from the society itself. In addition, this interest probably varies from one individual to another and from topic to topic. Therefore, taking the entire diversity of public views and opinions into account is not functional. Third, there is no electoral system that translates the voters‘ preferences exactly into electoral results. Besides the s heer feasibility problem, there is the option of manipulating the electoral system in favor of a certain ethnic group, gerrymandering, or the usage of suffrage restrictions (Dryzek 2005: 226). Thus, theShow MoreRelatedTackling The Democratic Deficit Between The European Union ( Eu )2859 Words   |  12 Pagesundebated. Democracy deficit in the EU in its ordinary meaning means that there is gap between the EU institutions and citizens in the member states of the EU. Recommendations have been put forward to bridge the gap between the EU’s institutions and the citizens in the member nations of the EU. These range from empowering the national Parliament of member states to giving citizens more direct voice in Europe. A founding principle of the European Union is Subsidiarity. This is found in Article 5(3) ofRead MoreThe Aftermath Of Shay s Rebellion2048 Words   |  9 Pagesdivisions in society by converting private property to common ownership. Influenced by Lockean ideas based on a belief in natural rights, framers believed that protecting private property was and still is a fundamental role of the government (Dunn, 1982). According to Locke, the sole purpose of government was to protect natural rights. A government must be built on the consent of the governed, and it should be a limited government (Schneider and Peardon, 1953). With the creation of the Articles remainedRead MoreThe Fall of the United States/Rome II?3132 Words   |  13 Pagesby examining the results of this system, the corruption and Fundamental ideas that lead to the rise of a â€Å"Central Power† that came to be present in both nations and many say signaled the end of the Republic Era of Rome. I hope to provide critical review in which we can use as knowledge in indicating why the U.S. is currently in a state of decay. Republic: A Government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsibleRead MoreChallenges for Urban Local Governments in India46115 Words   |  185 Pagespublication in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Asian and African Studies, by Sage Publications Ltd. Copyright  © Rumi Aijaz, 2007 All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of research or private study, or criticism or review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission in writing of the publisher nor be issued to the public or circulated in any form other than that