POLITICAL SCIENCE

2023-2024
TOPIC: OUTCOME OF DEMOCRACY.

1) ‘Democracy is more effective than its other alternatives ’’ – Justify the statement.
Ans. Democracy is considered better form of government because:
i. Promotes equality among citizens;
ii. Enhances the dignity of the individual;
iii. Improves the quality of decision making;
iv. Provides a method to resolve conflicts; and.
v. Allows room to correct mistake

2) What are the common features of all types of democracies?

Ans. All democracies they have formal constitutions, they hold elections, they have parties and
they guarantee rights of citizens.

3) Why do people start blaming democracy?

i. Our interest in and fascination for democracy often pushes us into taking a
position that democracy can address all socio-economic and political problems.
ii. If some of our expectations are not met, we start blaming the idea of democracy.
iii. Or, we start doubting if we are living in a democracy.

4) What is the first step towards thinking carefully about the outcomes of democracy?
Ans.
i. The first step towards thinking carefully about the outcomes of democracy is to recognise
that democracy is just a form of government.
ii. It can only create conditions for achieving something. The citizens have to take
advantage of those conditions and achieve those goals.

5) Why do people think that democracy produces less effective government?

Ans.
i. Some people think that democracy produces less effective government. It is, of course,
true that non-democratic rulers do not have to bother about deliberation in assemblies or
worry about majorities and public opinion.
ii. So, they can be very quick and efficient in decision making and implementation.
Democracy is based on the idea of deliberation and negotiation. So, some delay is bound
to take place.
iii. But it may take decisions that are not accepted by the people and may therefore face
problems.
 iv. In contrast, the democratic government will take more time to follow procedures before
arriving at a decision.
v. But because it has followed procedures, its decisions may be both more acceptable to the
people and more effective. So, the cost of time that democracy pays is perhaps worth it.

6) What is meant by transparency?

Ans.
i. Democracy ensures that decision making will be based on norms and procedures. So, a
citizen who wants to know if a decision was taken through the correct procedures can
find this out.
ii. She has the right and the means to examine the process of decision making. This is
known as transparency.

7) What do you expect from democracy when we try to find out its outcomes?
Ans.
i. When we are trying to find out the outcomes of democracy, it is right to expect
democracy to produce a government that follows procedures and is accountable to the
people.
ii. We can also expect that the democratic government develops mechanisms for citizens to
hold the government accountable and mechanisms for citizens to take part in decision
making whenever they think fit.

8) What are the practices and institutions to measure democracies on the basis of expected
outcome?
Ans. To measure democracies on the basis of this expected outcome, we would look for the
following practices and institutions:
i. regular, free and fair elections;
ii. open public debate on major policies and legislations;
iii. citizens’ right to information about the government and its functioning.

9) How have democracies fallen short of people’s expectations?

Ans.
i. Democracies have had greater success in setting up regular and free elections and in
setting up conditions for open public debate.
ii. But most democracies fall short of elections that provide a fair chance to everyone and in
subjecting every decision to public debate.
iii. Democratic governments do not have a very good record when it comes to sharing
information with citizens. But they are much better than any non-democratic regime in
these respects.
iv. People expect from democracy a government that is attentive to the needs and demands
of the people and is largely free of corruption. The record of democracies is not
impressive on these two counts. Democracies have not been free of corruption.
 v. Democracies often frustrate the needs of the people and often ignore the demands of a
majority of its population.

10) Why is there an overwhelming support for the idea of democracy all over the world?
Ans. There is an overwhelming support for the idea of democracy all over the world:
i. Democratic government is certainly better than its alternatives: democratic government is
legitimate government.
ii. It may be slow, less efficient, not always very responsive or clean. But a democratic
government is people’s own government. That is why there is an overwhelming support
for the idea of democracy all over the world.
iii. People wish to be ruled by representatives elected by them. They also believe that
democracy is suitable for their country. Democracy’s ability to generate its own support
is itself an outcome that cannot be ignored.

11) Economic development of a country depends on which factors and what is the role of
democracy in it?
Ans.
i. If we consider all democracies and all dictatorships for the fifty years between 1950 and
2000, dictatorships have slightly higher rate of economic growth.
ii. Economic development depends on several factors: country’s population size, global
situation, cooperation from other countries, economic priorities adopted by the country,
etc.
iii. Overall, we cannot say that democracy is a guarantee of economic development. But we
can expect democracy not to lag behind dictatorships in this respect.
iv. When we find such significant difference in the rates of economic growth between
countries under dictatorship and democracy, it is better to prefer democracy as it has
several other positive outcomes.
12) How democracies have been able to reduce inequalities and poverty?
Ans.
i. Democracies are based on political equality. All individuals have equal weight in electing
representatives. A small number of ultra-rich enjoy a highly disproportionate share of
wealth and incomes. Not only that, their share in the total income of the country has been
increasing. Those at the bottom of the society have very little to depend upon. Their
incomes have been declining.
ii. In actual life, democracies do not appear to be very successful in reducing economic
inequalities. In India, the poor constitute a large proportion of our voters and no party
will like to lose their votes. Yet democratically elected governments are not keen to
address the question of poverty.
iii. The elected governments have started a number of poverty alleviation programmes in
India.
iv. Different political parties are committed to remove poverty and inequalities in their
election manifesto they include policy of poverty eradication.
 v. The situation is much worse in some other countries. Eg : Bangladesh, more than half of
its population lives in poverty. People in several poor countries are now dependent on the
rich countries even for food supplies.

13) What are the conditions under which democracies accommodate social diversities?
Ans.
i. Democracies accommodate various social divisions. Eg: Belgium has successfully
negotiated differences among ethnic populations.
ii. No society can fully and permanently resolve conflicts among different groups. But we
can certainly learn to respect these differences and we can also evolve mechanisms to
negotiate the differences.
iii. Non-democratic regimes often turn a blind eye to or suppress internal social differences.
iv. Democracy must fulfill two conditions in order to achieve this outcome:
a) It is necessary to understand that democracy is not simply rule by majority opinion.
The majority always needs to work with the minority so that governments function to
represent the general view. Majority and minority opinions are not permanent.
b) It is also necessary that rule by majority does not become rule by majority community
in terms of religion or race or linguistic group, etc. Rule by majority means that in case of
every decision or in case of every election, different persons and groups may and can
form a majority. Democracy remains democracy only as long as every citizen has a
chance of being in majority at some point of time. If someone is barred from being in
majority on the basis of birth, then the democratic rule ceases to be accommodative for
that person or group.

14) Examine with examples how dignity and freedom of citizen are best guaranteed in a
democracy.
Ans.Democracy stands much superior to any other form of government in promoting dignity and
freedom of the individual. The passion for respect and freedom are the basis of democracy.
i. Take the case of dignity of women. Most societies across the world were historically
male dominated societies. Long struggles by women have created some sensitivity today
that respect to and equal treatment of women are necessary ingredients of a democratic
society. It becomes easier for women to wage a struggle against what is now
unacceptable legally and morally. In a non-democratic set up. Women would not have the
legal and moral force there.
ii. Democracy in India has strengthened the claims of the disadvantaged and
discriminated castes for equal status and equal opportunity.
iii. As people get some benefits of democracy, they ask for more and want to make
democracy even better. Democracies helps people have developed awareness and the
ability to expect and to look critically at power holders and the high and the mighty.
iv. It transforms people from the status of a subject into that of a citizen. Most individuals
today believe that their vote makes a difference to the way the government is run and to
their own self-interest.
15) ‘‘Expectations from democracy function as the criteria for judging any democratic
country’’ Explain.
Ans.
i. As people get some benefits of democracy, they ask for more and want to make
democracy even better. That is why, when we ask people about the way democracy
functions, they will always come up with more expectations, and many complaints.
ii. The fact that people are complaining is itself a testimony to the success of democracy:
Democracies helps people to develop awareness and the ability to expect and to look
critically at power holders and the high and the mighty.
iii. A public expression of dissatisfaction with democracy shows the success of the
democratic project:
iv. It transforms people from the status of a subject into that of a citizen. Most individuals
today believe that their vote makes a difference to the way the government is run and to
their own self-interest.

Assignment :

1. Democracy is better form of govt. Why?

2. Democracies reduce economic disparities- Do you agree? Give reason .

3. Expectations from democracy also function as the criteria for judging any democracy. Explain

4. Democracy is responsible, accountable and legitimate government- Explain.

5. Explain with examples how dignity and freedom of the citizens are best guaranteed in a
democracy.

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