Aspects Of Democracy Research Articles

The growth of social media in science: Social media has evolved from a mere communication channel to an integral tool for discussion and research collaboration.

Social media has become popular among scientists to communicate within and beyond their communities. More specialized channels and the ongoing lockdowns further increase their value and use.

FORMULATION OF VILLAGE HEAD DISCRETION POLICY (Policy Formulation Study in Sumber Lele Village and Kebon Agung Village)

This study The purpose of this study is to find out the process of formulating discretionary policies carried out by the village head. The method used in this study is a qualitative study method. The type of study used in this study is the type of descriptive study. Based on the results of the study it was concluded that the process of discretion policy formulation carried out by the village head was still not optimal, this is due to the low capacity of the village head as the main actor in the discretion policy formulation process. This can be seen from the lack of ability in discretionary policies, thus affecting the monopoly in the process of formulating discretionary and undemocratic policies, as happened in Kebon Agung Village. Whereas in Sumber Lele Village the conditions are better, because it has involved the parties (stakeholders). Although the parties (stakeholders) which is involved does not yet reflect aspects of democracy and representation, because of the parties (stakeholders) only community and religious leaders were involved.

Frequency changes and stylistic levelling of though in diachronic and synchronic varieties of English – linguistic democratisation?

Based on diachronic and synchronic corpus data, this paper empirically explores two symptoms of linguistic democratisation in English: (i) a general frequency increase of a linguistic feature traditionally associated with spoken language, which may be interpreted as colloqualisation, and (ii) a development towards similar rates of occurrence of the phenomenon in different genres, i.e. its more general availability irrespective of stylistic context. For the latter process, the term ‘stylistic levelling’ is suggested. The focus is on developments of the (typically spoken) conjunct though, as in the sentence It was not cheap, though, from the early 17th to the late 20th century. The paper makes suggestions for the quantitative analysis of aspects of linguistic democratisation, demonstrates the approach based on a corpus study, discusses L2 varieties of English as one possible source of such processes, and discusses the theoretical and methodological implications of the study.

The Democratic Peace: An Experimental Test of a Causal Relation and of Underlying Mechanisms

Democracies go to war with each other less frequently than dictatorships do with each other. This is an established empirical regularity. However, it is not clear whether there is a causal link between democracy and peace. We use laboratory experiments to study whether there is a causal impact. We study the bellicosity of democracies compared with two types of dictatorships, inclusive and exclusive, where each society is composed of three members. We also analyze how bellicosity depends on the presence of the possibility of deliberation among the members of a society. Neither the ‘voting’ nor ‘inclusion’ aspect of democracy nor ‘deliberation’ in isolation has a positive causal impact on peace. However, when all three are combined, there is evidence that their combination produces less bellicosity than some kinds of dictatorship. It is the availability of deliberation that makes the crucial distinguishing difference for democracy in our experiment. We observe democratic peace only in the presence of deliberation.

Local Democracy in the West-Nordic Countries

In 2012, the research project West Nordic municipal structure. Challenges to local democracy, efficient service provision and adaptive capacity was granted money from the Arctic Co-operation Programme 2012-2014. The overall aim of the project was to collect knowledge on the local level in the three West Nordic countries; the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Iceland by mapping the situation and development in the municipal sectors, focusing primarily on four aspects. The first was; the municipal structure. The second was; the democratic aspect – that is, which consequences the structural development has had for local democracy – to identify the main challenges to democracy, caused by the structural developments. The third; to map the service production capacity and effectiveness of the municipalities, and the fourth; to try to map the municipalities’ capacity to manage the development processes which often accompany municipal amalgamations. An overall research question was: What consequences have developments in municipal structure in the three countries had for democracy, local self-government and autonomy, as well as the ability to manage the processes accompanying amalgamations? In September 2014 a report containing this analysis was submitted . In this article I use the data from this survey to answer following main research questions: What is the general status of local democracy in the three countries? Is there a connection between size and democracy when we are looking at municipalities in a small scale size as is the case in the West Nordic countries? Does peripheral or central position in a municipality affect the attitudes towards democracy as measured in the survey reported? The operationalization of local democracy is threefold: First, looking at the perception of power and influence by different territories in each municipality. Second, looking at the perceptions of access to the municipal administration. The third is by looking at the perception of ties and contacts to the local politicians.

A Framework for Categorising and Evaluating Tools for e‑Democracy

The design of tools and interfaces for e‑democracy systems takes place in a highly multidisciplinary context.However, the inter‑contextual understanding of democracy is still immature. This article presents a framework suitable forevaluating tools for e‑democracy. The framework has been developed based on earlier theories and frameworks and thenfurther evaluated against two test cases: Twitter and BottenAda. The evaluation model builds on the inclusion of differentviews of e‑democracy, not seeing them as conflicting per se but rather making it possible for e‑democracy tool users anddevelopers to understand the varying degree of support a tool can display for several aspects of democracy. The model alsoprovides a visualization of complex theories and can thus contribute to a more informed discussion on what types ofdemocratic values are being supported in a particular e‑democracy tool.

Права людини в кібер-просторі крізь призму теорії демократії.

As cyber-space gradually becomes a fully realized sphere of society and acquires a set of political connotations, the necessity of studying the virtual dimension of policy-making process becomes all the more urgent, including the need to pay more attention to the issue of human rights protection in cyber-space. At the same time, modern scientific research in the sphere of human rights mostly represents a fairly onedimensional point of view, as they focus on the legal side of the problem, primarily paying attention to the norms of international law. Present article explains and justifies the necessity and relevance of full-scale implementation of tools and methods of political science, particularly the concepts and ideas of pluralistic and deliberative democracy, in the process of studying the Internet as means of political communication, a tool for implementation of fundamental human rights, such as freedom of speech, the right to assembly and freedom of association.Purpose of the research is complex in nature, as it strives to prove that the foundations for studying the ways the Internet influences policy-making process, were laid by classics of political studies in pre-digital and early digital era, while also analyzing the possibility of using the Internet as a tool of implementation of some of the main aspects of democratic theory beyond the boundaries of established democracies.The research presented analysis of modern cyber-space against the background of J. Habermas’ concept of «public-sphere» as a space for productive and rational political discussion. Conclusions were also made concerning the possibility of application of communicative capacities of the Internet as the means of practical implementation of R. Dahl and J. Cohen concepts of democratic development. At the same time, presented set of practical proved the ability of online-community to perform the functions of civil society in authoritarian states, thus promoting development of certain aspects of democracy in the absence of traditional democratic institutions.

POLITICAL ONTO-THEOLOGIES OR TOWARDS A POLITICAL METAPHYSICS. SOME CRITICAL ANALOGIES FROM PLATO TO JÜRGEN MOLTMANN

The fruitful revival of political onto-theology in the 20th century, just in the heart of the so-called Weimar Renaissance, is connected not only with the revised image of the Middle Ages, but also with the total recall of the problem evil in the epicenter of late modernity, due to the bloody and barbaric World Wars. Both New Political Theology and post-fundamental political onto-theologies, in the sense of a radical onto-theologia negativa, brought to the forefront of contemporary social, political and ethical theory the essential issues of ontological, theological and moral interpretation of the political. It is not by accident that New Political Theology comes to the postwar theoretical and experiential scene as a rival against Schmittian political theology. Now, the focal point of analysis is not political power, in the sense of state sovereignty, but a radical return to the forgotten theologian principles of Christology and Trinitarianism. As far as New Political Theology is concerned, the new content of political theology pursues more the republican and democratic aspects of a Crucified God on the Cross next to Jesus Christ, the poor and the pariahs. It is no coincidence that Moltmannian theology of hope is seen, in the final analysis, as a political theologia crucis. It is important to add that a significant role in the non-Schmittian political theology of the 20th century plays the messianic and/or apocalyptic Jewish political theology with apparent Marxist connotations and strong links with Critical Theory.

Nietzsche's Culture of Humanity: Beyond Aristocracy and Democracy in the Early Period

Nietzsche's Culture of Humanity: Beyond Aristocracy and Democracy in the Early Period

Democracy and tax avoidance: An international study

AbstractWe examine the impact of home country democracy on corporate tax avoidance. Specifically, we investigate how two aspects of democracy (political freedom and electoral democracy) are associated with corporate tax avoidance, respectively. Political freedom reduces tax avoidance, as public scrutiny increases financial transparency risk of tax avoidance and participation in political decision‐making process raises willingness to pay taxes. Electoral democracy increases tax avoidance, as election increases tax system complexity which in turn increases tax avoidance. Furthermore, we find that corruption control and social stability strengthen the negative association between political freedom and tax avoidance. Corporate tax complexity as percentage of overall tax complexity strengthens the positive association between electoral democracy and tax avoidance. Additional tests show shareholder protection and being a common law country weaken the negative association between political freedom and tax avoidance, and strengthen the positive association between electoral democracy and tax avoidance. Robustness checks using colony history as instrumental variable confirm the results.

Appealing the Judgments Issued in Criminal Trial with the Participation of Lay Judges in Poland and Jury in England

Abstract The objective of the paper is to present the differences in the grounds of appeal and the appeal proceedings against judgments issued by a court composed of representatives of the public in a criminal trial at first instance. At present, citizens are allowed to adjudicate most often in one of three forms: persons adjudicating independently without the participation of a professional factor, who are not professionals in the field of law and criminal procedure (e.g. judges of the peace in the common law system); a jury composed of citizens and adjudicating mostly on guilt of the accused; or lay judges adjudicating all aspects of the case in one panel together with professional judges. However, the participation of laymen in adjudication is not a prevailing rule. Many countries legal systems do not allow the citizens to co-decide in criminal cases. The paper also indicates the arguments for the democratization of the judiciary through a wider admission of citizens to participate in criminal justice. This issue has been examined on the background of three aspects of democracy: representative, deliberative and participatory.

Advancing Shūrā: A Social Agent for Democratization

ABSTRACTThis study is an analytical comparison between Islamic articulations of shūrā (consultation) and notions of representative democracy. It emphasizes various epistemic understandings of shūrā in light of qur’anic exegesis and historical precedents of consultative rule in Islam. In particular, it identifies shūrā as an agent for democratization in contrast to its more familiar manifestation as a top-down consultative system. This is examined together with the works of influential Muslim scholars from modernist, Islamist and pro-democratic backgrounds to elucidate what aspects of democracy they accept and/or reject. The article does not exhaustively analyze each scholar’s interpretation of democracy. Rather, it selects scholars from different historical epochs with distinctive theoretical positions on shūrā. Overall, the study finds shūrā remains largely under-utilized as a result of post-colonial discourses on Islam and authoritarian political systems in Muslim-majority countries. The article finally examines how shūrā can be better facilitated as a social agent to renew civil society and combat authoritarian rule.

Organizational and financial and economic instruments of management democratization and regulation of social and cultural enterprises development in Ukraine

The subject of the study is theoretical and practical aspects of democratization of management and regulation of the development of enterprises of the socio-cultural sphere of Ukraine with the use of organizational and financial-economic instruments and mechanisms. The purpose of the work is to identify and address the challenges and problems of developing the socio-cultural sphere to improve the management and regulation of its enterprises and institutions on the basis of democratization in conditions of decentralization of power, European integration influences and using organizational and financial and economic instruments. Methodological basis of the article became as general scientific, and special methods of scientific knowledge. Were used methods: dialectical, monographic, historical, system-structural analysis and synthesis, problem and program-target approaches. Results of work. The article reveals that the decentralization of power in Ukraine and the pursuit of European standards of life place new demands on development, hence the management of national socio-cultural space. It has been established that the management of enterprises and organizations in the socio-cultural sphere should be based on the consistent democratization of the entire management system. To this end, the expediency of introducing the public-public model into the system of management of them, the involvement of social entrepreneurship instruments and social responsibility has been substantiated. The challenges and positive trends of the socio-cultural sphere development are revealed. New effective mechanisms, methods and tools for management, related to forecasting, designing and implementation of innovations, program-target planning in the mode of constant correction of goals and tasks and monitoring of socio-cultural space are proposed. The field of application of results. Conclusions and results of the article can be used in the educational-scientific process of the economic faculties of higher educational institutions. It is expedient to transfer them for practical use in the management of cultural and artistic institutions, enterprises of social infrastructure in the countryside. They also represent a practical interest in the work of rural communities and the development of rural areas. Conclusions. Democratization of the management of enterprises of socio-cultural sphere is carried out on the principles of decentralization of power, gradual formation of civil society, in accordance with the processes of European integration and in response to internal and external socio-economic challenges. At the same time, the latest methods, mechanisms and instruments of management and regulation should be applied. In their totality, the comprehensive implementation deserves programming and planning activities. It means the development of specific programs with a scientifically developed conceptual framework for the development of financially sustainable socio-cultural enterprises or activities. In the future, it is also necessary to develop criteria that will allow an assessment of the effectiveness of the implementation of these programs, provide options for their adverse development and remedial action in such cases. Executive activities in this context should include the creation of regulatory and legal networks and organizational structures that will allow for the unification of constructive processes of self-organization and specific management measures, the introduction of new mechanisms for the implementation of the potential of a program that forms relevant logistical, labor and financial and economic resources, information bases and innovations.

Decision-making efficiency, accountability and democracy in inter-municipal cooperation arrangements: The case of Iceland

Inter-municipal cooperation in Iceland has a history of many decades. There has been significant cooperation between smaller and larger municipalities in order to improve the provision of services, which in many cases has been difficult for the small and smallest units – a question of capacity. In this article, the main task is to look at the democratic aspect of inter-municipal cooperation arrangements. The main research questions are on consequences for democracy, democratic accountability, efficiency and decision-making in this context, which have been pointed out as the main democratic concerns by various European researchers. To answer this for the case of Iceland, responses to questions on the topic from two different surveys among local leaders are analysed. The main conclusion is that the general concerns stated by the above-mentioned researchers also seem to be present in the case of inter-municipal cooperation in Iceland.

Accountability Model of Financial Management in the Public Sector: A Study on Panggungharjo Village Budget

Most research on public accountability is carried out in government agencies. Little looks at the accountability model for village financial management. Little is also known about villages in developing countries having successfully managed their finance that fulfills both formal and substantive aspects of public accountability. This research attempts to analyze Bovens accountability model framework which increases three important accountability elements: right of authority, answerability and enforceability in village financial management. Data are collected through interviews with informants and secondary data from village financial reports. We find that village community forum takes place democratically to ask for accountability but cannot be a substantive accountee. Panggungharjo Village is studied here as depiction of a top performing village at national level that has procedurally and normatively fulfilled the answerability aspect of vertical accountability. However, the potential problem of accountability arises from the essence of accountability from the aspect of democracy, where public participation as accountees is still biased so answerability has not yet emerged on horizontal accountability. Culture of the society and technocratic policies become confounding variables. A theoretical implication simultaneously enriches Bovens’ model is the need to look at the environmental context, namely, bureaucrats’ attitudes in the political context as accountor and the cultural environment of the community as accountee. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:Table Normal; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri,sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:Table Normal; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri,sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:Table Normal; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri,sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

What makes up democracy? Meanings of democracy and their correlates among adolescents in 38 countries

Several studies investigate the meanings of democracy among the adult population. In contrast, less is known about young citizens’ ideas of democracy, and which individual and contextual characteristics are associated with them. This article contributes to the literature by uncovering the meanings of democracy and their correlates among adolescents in 38 countries. Using the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study 2009, the article shows that meanings of democracy vary among adolescents. These meanings are the results of how adolescents find various aspects of democracy, as the rule of law, freedoms, rights, pluralism, or equality, constitutive of it. Then, the article assesses whether socialization agents and personal characteristics account for the different meanings of democracy to adolescents. Finally, the analysis addresses the role that larger contexts—democratization and human development—have in the formation of concepts of democracy among adolescents.

Administrators’ Opinions on Qualified School Characteristics of Project Schools

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate whether the PSs Schools (PSs) carry the qualifications of a qualified school, based on the views of school administrators and the documents on the websites of these schools. Within the scope of this research, qualified school is defined as a school concentrates on students’ nature, pays attention to the activity of students and authentic, free and democratic. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews, conducted individually via face-to-face meetings with the administrators of six different PSs Schools in Istanbul. After the administrator interviews were conducted, the web sites of these schools were examined in relation to the history, mission and visions of schools, school councils, school board decisions, school projects and activities. Descriptive analysis was used in the analysis of research data. According to the results obtained from the research, the most important area of freedom in PSs is that the administrators can choose the teachers to work and the teachers may overcome the curriculum. The freedom of students is very limited, especially in the case of elective courses. Administrators have different opinions about the democratic aspects of their schools. This is a result of administrators’ looking at different aspects of the concept of democratic school. It can be said that the democratic structure of PSs became more evident during the election of student councils and the determination of the uniforms. According to another result of the research, the activation of the learners is taken over from the extracurricular activities and it seems that there is difficulty in finding time for the extracurricular activities. Physical limitations such as legislation and curricula prevent class building according to the interests and abilities of students. On the other hand, it is stated that classes suitable for the student’s natural strengths, interests and abilities are possible in extracurricular activities such as project studies and science olympiads.

Czech and Polish understanding of democracy

The paper attempts to analyze the results of the European Social Survey Round 6 (2012, 2013), focusing on the section related to how democracy is understood in Poland and in the Czech Republic. The most interesting issue encompassed the differences in how democracy is defined in the two countries and the outcomes these differences produce in terms of the perceived legitimacy of the system, as well as demographic factors that correlate with differences in the understanding of democracy in both surveyed groups. Statistical analyses carried out in the paper indicated the presence of different definitions of democracy formulated in Poland and in the Czech Republic (the Czechs gave stronger emphasis to the liberal aspect of democracy, whereas Poles stressed its social aspects more). Nevertheless, the relationship between the definition of democracy and the perceived level of legitimacy of the democratic system (for dispersed and specific legitimacy alike) were found to be relatively weak, as was the case of the relationship between the understanding of democracy, system legitimacy and socio-demographic factors. The only factor found to be significant for the perceived level of legitimacy of the democratic system concerned the level of satisfaction with one’s own material situation.

Compensating or reproducing? Students from different educational tracks and the role of school in experiencing democratic citizenship

ABSTRACTStudies show that adolescents who follow a higher educational track have more positive experiences than those of lower levels with aspects of democracy, such as decision-making or discussions. This study focuses on how adolescents from different educational tracks evaluate the various possibilities to experience democracy in daily life, and whether school is compensating for any difference therein. Data were gathered by interviewing 40 adolescents at two points in time (eighth and tenth grade). The results suggest that, especially in the later phase of secondary education, according to the experiences of adolescents it is apparent that school exacerbates instead of decreases social differences in society. Those in the higher educational track more often than those in the lower track experience having discussions and being encouraged to be socially and politically engaged. Opportunities for teachers and for citizenship education to strengthen democratic socialisation on both educational tracks are discussed.

Interrogating ourselves to promote the democratic production, distribution, and use of knowledge through action research

ABSTRACTThis article is a report of a critical co-autoethnography action research (AR) study of Allan Feldman’s life in AR relative to the development of knowledge democracy (KD). For nearly 30 years he has been doing, studying, and writing about AR, first as a doctoral student and then as a professor. Prior to this he engaged in reflective practice as a secondary science teacher. In this study we ask how his life in AR has contributed to KD, and what actions he and others can take to increase the contribution of AR to KD. The meaning-making processes used throughout relied heavily on collaborative conversations with a critical friend (Frederick Bradley), self-reflective writing, and interrogation of the literature and Feldman’s previous writings. The findings suggest that while his work has been situated in democratic and critical aspects of AR, little of it fits in with current conceptions of KD. They also indicate that a reconfiguration of how we think about, practice, facilitate, and study AR might be necessary if we are to fall more in line with the ideals of KD. We contend the methods and results of our study can be used by others in the field, who seek to interrogate their participation in this way, and help them promote the democratic production, distribution, and use of knowledge.