industrialized democracies
BY Maddie Meyers
"Democracy is the worst from of government except all the others that have ever been tried." - Winston Churchill
Democracies, like forms of government, have issues and problems, but they definitely pale in comparison to those of the rest of the world. Even the best form of government proves itself to be considerably flawed, giving some food for thought on government itself in general.
Democracies, like forms of government, have issues and problems, but they definitely pale in comparison to those of the rest of the world. Even the best form of government proves itself to be considerably flawed, giving some food for thought on government itself in general.
The Basics
The Industrialized Democracies
The Industrialized Democracies
- The United States
- Canada
- Australia
- Japan
- New Zealand
- Most of Europe
Sovereignty, Authority, Power
Industrialized Democracies are the world's richest countries; they have the best living standard and most effective form of government.
Industrial democracies function because of civic culture, where full legitimacy is given to the regimes and they are accepted. If there are protests, they are usually directed towards the government of the day, not the regime itself. People in industrialized democracies can disagree, but they will always find ways to work with and learn from each other. There is always just a general trust in the government, and as a result, limited involvement from the people.
Political/Economic Change
To understand what and how political and economic change is brought upon by, it is imperative to look into the history of the development of democracies.
In the 1700’s, people began moving towards ideas rooted in democracy, such as individualism, capitalism, and Protestantism; anything that classified as something guaranteed in the liberty of democracy today. The idea was simply that the government should let the people have a greater impact on the decisions that shape their lives. This idea brought upon centuries of political change, starting with greater economic freedom, to eventual suffrage for all, to the formation of trade unions and interest groups. All of this over time formed the state of a democratic society.
Economically, going back in history as well, it is evident that due to major events like the Industrial Revolutions in Britain and the United States, that desire for economic change was forming. People started believing in laissez-faire capitalism , where government stays out of economic life as much as possible. Early industrial capitalism held ideas of wealthy capitalists wanting more room in the society to do their work. The idea of being free within the economy is what the change focuses on.
All in all, changes in politics and in the economy are rooted in the desire for change, a desire that is built upon years of discontent with the government and on carefully formulated ideas that bring about that change and further characterize democracies. People in democracies have the freedom to have and act on such desires.
Citizens, Society, the State Citizens are generally well off; industrialized democracies are the richest in the world. The living standard is best, as most citizens have access to basic health care, there is a low infant mortality rate, and a long life expectancy. Perhaps the most characterizing of the type of society citizens live in is the presence of civic culture as a part of democratic values. Citizens have a strong sense of political efficacy, where they can all comment or act on decisions they don't agree with. |
Political Institutions
There are roughly five criteria that Industrial Democracies have as institutions in their politics and basic overall definition.
Natural, political, human rights are all deeply ingrained in the culture of democracy or written as laws in constitutions. Sure, all countries place restrictions on people's freedoms, but they are mostly on the margins of political life. For example, when 9/11 occurred, national security was threatened and certain acts had to be passed in order to preserve governmental vitality. Nevertheless, these restrictions are rarely used and have little impact on daily political life.
Competitive elections are an imperative part of industrialized democracies. The government must be chosen through regular, free, and fair elections. The United States is unique in only having two major parties, whereas other industrialized democracies have more parties that matter and do things like form governing coalitions. Differences in parties exist because of electoral systems, as the laws that govern the way elections are conducted and votes are counted are known. Single-member districts favor large parties, having a first-past-the-post system. Under proportional representation, a party’s share of legislative seats is determined by the fraction of the vote it receives, and this accounts for why some countries have five, six, or more parties. Countries with proportional representation have more women represented while single-member districts have majority of men. These characteristics vary per country but there is a commonality: regular, free, and fair elections.
There is also a definite reliance on the rule of law, where political behavior is governed by clear and fair rules rather than personal exercise of power. The constitution specifies what people can and cannot do, and people can be expected to be treated fairly by the government.
It is also clear to see that only reasonably affluent societies have been able to sustain democracy for a long period of time. Wealth and capitalism are long standing institutions to industrialized democracies.
Lastly, stable democracies need a civic culture, where people accept the regime and give elites considerable leeway in governing them. Western cultures and solidification of industrialized democracies are linked.
Public Policy
Industrialized Democracies do not have the world’s most active states, but they all have a history of deep engagement at home and abroad. It was concluded that the government could not stay on the sidelines as their nation’s challenges increased, thus forming the modern activist state. Markets were initially thought to be things to be left alone, but it became clear that they didn’t provide ample public goods, such as a clean environment or general education. This, along with market failures, such as overcrowded and filthy cities, poverty, and pollution, occurring as a result, led to the creation of an interventionist state throughout the industrialized world.
It provides, in all industrialized democracies, basic health care, education, income support, unemployment compensation, and pensions and other programs for seniors. There is still controversy over these programs from those who believe in a free market.
Most of the economy is privately owned in each, and all have industries run by the government. However, the United States is an outlier within all this. It is the only major industrialized country that does not provide basic health care to everyone, many programs its are not effective, and it spends more on health care per capita despite having the least coverage.
All in all, the basic policy all countries agree on is that government ownership of industry is not a good idea. It seems that neither active state intervention nor more market-driven approaches have positive results. It is extremely clear that even the wealthiest state cannot shape its economic destiny.
Industrialized Democracies do not have the world’s most active states, but they all have a history of deep engagement at home and abroad. It was concluded that the government could not stay on the sidelines as their nation’s challenges increased, thus forming the modern activist state. Markets were initially thought to be things to be left alone, but it became clear that they didn’t provide ample public goods, such as a clean environment or general education. This, along with market failures, such as overcrowded and filthy cities, poverty, and pollution, occurring as a result, led to the creation of an interventionist state throughout the industrialized world.
It provides, in all industrialized democracies, basic health care, education, income support, unemployment compensation, and pensions and other programs for seniors. There is still controversy over these programs from those who believe in a free market.
Most of the economy is privately owned in each, and all have industries run by the government. However, the United States is an outlier within all this. It is the only major industrialized country that does not provide basic health care to everyone, many programs its are not effective, and it spends more on health care per capita despite having the least coverage.
All in all, the basic policy all countries agree on is that government ownership of industry is not a good idea. It seems that neither active state intervention nor more market-driven approaches have positive results. It is extremely clear that even the wealthiest state cannot shape its economic destiny.
Links: http://www.rogerdarlington.me.uk/USvsUK.html