Quality of Democracy and Political Inclusion

Abstract

As many observers have noted, more than at any time in human history, we live today in a democratic age. Extraordinary political changes initiated in Europe and America in the second half of the 18th century consolidated the foundations of this peculiar process during the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the last four decades, changes adopted in all regions of the world have brought the institutions of many existing political systems closer to the ideals of democracy. In marked contrast to the dominant power structures of the 20th century, the majority of independent countries around the world have gone through political transformations that have brought many political systems closer to democratic ideals, but contemporary political institutions and procedures embody these ideals only partially. In many nations, the rule of law, civil and political rights, and mechanisms for citizens’ control of governments remain ineffective or underdeveloped.