Question

What are the prospects and challenges of Democracy?

Answer 1

Answer:

This answer will provide details on the various prospects of Democracy and the Challenges of Democracy.

The Prospects of Democracy

The six important prospects of democracy are listed below:

1. Accountable, responsive, and legitimate government
2. Economic growth and development
3. Reduction of inequality and poverty
4. Accommodation of social diversity
5. Dignity and freedom of the citizens

Dignity and Freedom of the Citizens

• In promoting the freedom and dignity of individuals, democracy is very superior to all other forms of Government.
• Equal opportunities and equal status has been given by Democracy to the discriminated and disadvantaged castes in India.
• Whatever residual caste atrocities and caste-based inequalities exist, it lacks legal and moral foundations.
• Whenever democracy faces dissatisfaction from the public, it shows that the status of people has been transformed into that of citizens. Most citizens believe that their vote can change the way the Government is run.

Accommodation of Social Diversity

• The conflicts between different social groups cannot be resolved permanently by any society.
• However, democracy helps in negotiating those differences, evolving mechanisms to handle those differences, and importantly learning to respect those differences.
• This outcome is best produced by democracy than any other form of Government.
• Handling conflicts, social divisions, and social differences is best handled by democratic regimes, other regimes will simply turn a blind eye and suppress the social differences.

Reduction of inequality and poverty

• All citizens have equal weight in electing political representatives. Democracies are based on political equality.
• As a few ultra-rich have disproportionately high income and wealth, there is growing economic inequality. In democracies, the Government tries to reduce poverty through various Government social welfare programs.

Economic growth and development

• Although democracies may not guarantee desired economic development, it certainly has many other positive outcomes; the economic development of democracies will not lag behind other forms of government like dictatorships.

Accountable, responsive, and legitimate government

• The very basic outcome of democracy is that it should have a Government that meets the expectations of the citizens, it should be responsive to the expectations and needs of the citizens.
• As decisions taken in a democracy are based on negotiations and deliberations between different stakeholders, some delay is expected in the democracy.