Jay Doubleyou: non-western democratic traditions

Sunday 30 June 2024

non-western democratic traditions - part two

First: a recap:

We're having a lot of elections this year - but clearly some are more democratic/free/fair/transparent than others: Jay Doubleyou: non-western democratic traditions

And to do this we can "look seriously at non-Western ideas that give greater meaning to political liberalism’s core spirit of tolerance, pluralism, and accountability...[and] improving democratic quality across all types of regimes." Exploring “Non-Western Democracy” - Carnegie Europe

This is a 'good thing' because 1) democracies tend to be happier than non-democratic or authoritarian regimes. Happiness and Democracy | Action for Happiness

And 2) if you live in a country with a per capita income over $10,000 – like Botswana – you are almost certainly to be living in a strong democracy. Which comes first – democracy or wealth?

In other words, autocratic countries do not have very much to say about the value(s) of democracy:

For example, the China Daily has the widest print circulation of any English-language newspaper in China - and is owned by the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party:

The move by the United States to divide the world into "democratic" and "undemocratic" camps by using its own standard reveals its attempts to preserve its global hegemony. Two experts share their views on the issue with China Daily... Amid the escalating aspirations and demands worldwide, we should be well poised to embrace a new mode of global governance characterized by the co-existence of different models of democracy. After all, democracy is no longer the monopoly of any nation state, be it the reigning hegemon or otherwise. Western model not the only form of democracy - Opinion - Chinadaily.com.cn

Yes, there are 'other models of democracy' - but the People's Republic of China is certainly not one of them: China claims its authoritarian one-party system is a democracy – and one that works better than the US | CNN

There are, however, other models of democracy in the Chinese-speaking world: Strong support for democracy in Hong Kong and Taiwan | Pew Research Center

There are also other models of democracy in the Russian-speaking world: Ukraine spent years trying to build a Western-style democracy. Then Russia invaded the country | AP News

Second: a look at other models of tolerance, pluralism, and accountability:

Firstly, perhaps we need to define the term: Types of democracy - Wikipedia

And then we can explore some of those different types of democracy.

America has a long history:

Scientists excavating at Tlaxcallan, a civilization that flourished between 1250 A.D. until the Spanish colonized the region in the 1500s, now believe that its people, as well as those in several other cities in central America, operated under a system of “collective” governing similar to that of a democratic republic, according to a report from Science magazine. Democracy Has Existed in the Americas Longer Than We Thought | Observer

So does India before the British:

Village assemblies (Panchayats) enjoyed a measure of autonomy and played a very crucial role in the village life. “The political and economic structure was built up from these village communities which were the basic units of self governing villages” Evolution of Local Self-Government in India | SpringerLink

And Africa:

It has been established that contrary to the western notion that democratic practice in Africa and indeed Nigeria is derived from western orientation, it is true that democratic norms and values were part and parcel of African indigenous socio-political systems long before the advent of colonialism. These democratic values such as popular will, popular participation, consultation/consensus, checks and balances, fair representation and accountability are democratic values that existed and were practised in pre-colonial African societies before they were undermined by colonialism. Democratic values and practice in pre-colonial Africa: lessons contemporary for Nigeria

Here's a very good overview of all those different traditions:

This book explores the intriguing idea that there is much more democracy in human history than is generally acknowledged. It establishes that democracy was developing across greater Asia before classical Athens, clung on during the 'Dark Ages', often formed part of indigenous governance and is developing today in unexpected ways. The Secret History of Democracy | SpringerLink

To finish, here's a look at the history of democracy: