Question

Studies on political and social inequalities in democracy show that a) democracy and development go together. b) inequalities exist in democracies. c) inequalities do not exist under a dictatorship. d) dictatorship is better than democracy.

Answer 1

Answer: The correct answer is option (b) – Inequalities exist in democracies.

Democracy and development go together.

• It is reasonable to expect democracies to reduce economic disparities, perhaps more than development.
• Although there is high economic growth in a nation, the wealth is not equally distributed among people, this leads to economic inequality.
• We find growing economic inequalities while in parallel the process of bringing individuals into the political arena on an equal footing is going on.
• Those at the bottom of the society their incomes have been declining.
• Poor farmers have very little alternative sources of incomes to depend upon.
• Poor people find it difficult to meet their basic needs of life, such as health, housing, education, clothing, food etc
• A highly disproportionate share of incomes and wealth lies in the hands of a few ultra-rich.
• The share of the few rich people in the total income of the country has been increasing massively

Inequalities exist in democracies & Comparison with Dictatorship

• Political equality is the basis of democracy.
• But, there are economic inequalities in democracy.
• There are social inequalities as well.
• But democracy in India has strengthened the claims of the discriminated castes and disadvantaged for equal opportunity and equal status.
• It is a difficult matter to recognize that all individuals are equal, for societies which have been built for long on the basis of dominance and subordination.
• Conflicts among different social groups cannot be resolved permanently and fully in any society.
• Internal social differences are usually suppressed and non-democractic regimes usually turn a blind eye to them.
• Democratic Governments are in a better position to reduce and handle conflicts, divisions and differences.