democracy

Democracy is a political concept referring to a society administered by a democratic government, in which all adult citizens have a say in social and political decisions that affect the country. It is widely viewed as the most fair and progressive form of government, since it reflects the will of the majority, while also granting and protecting the rights of minorities.

The way by which individuals can express their will regarding initiatives that affect everyone is voting. A distinction is made between direct democracies and representative democracies. In direct democracies, people vote on policies directly, while in representative democracies, the people elect a number of representatives (which constitute the country's legislature) who then vote on policy initiatives in the name of the people. However, many representative democracies also allow for three forms of direct political action on the part of the people, namely referendum, citizens' initiative and recall.

The referendum is a direct vote in which the electorate is asked to accept or reject a specific proposal. The citizens' imitative is a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters that can eventually force a public vote, or referendum. A recall is a political procedure by which registered voters can remove an elected official from service before their term has expired. Recalls are also initiated via petition.

You'll find bloggers talking about democracy at sites like economist.com and dailycaller.com.

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Original Technorati articles tagged “democracy”

• in Politics
  Pressure for Military Intervention in Syria Grows
  Assad Seems To Underestimate Opposition to his Regime
  by Mozart99 / on Jan 15, 2012
• in Politics
  Is the Death of the Lokpal Good Riddance or Bad Rubbish for Indian Democracy?
  What broke the fun was the objection Mamta Banerjee raised to a clause permitting the central government to enact anti corruption laws for the states, a promise extracted by Anna Hazare from a parliament under duress which it has no power to deliver.
  by forgevalley / on Dec 30, 2011
• in Politics
  India’s Lokpal – Shooting His Own Foot With Democracy?
  What is extra ordinary about the whole democratic event which is unfolding in India is the question of how much influence a mass agitation outside can wield on the elected representatives engaged in legislation inside the parliament
  by forgevalley / on Dec 28, 2011

Latest blogosphere posts tagged “democracy”

 

• Coriolanus: difficult play, brilliant film

  
  News Politics — Authority: 129
  Coriolanus is not an easy play for politicians to watch. From the moment he walks onto the stage, the eponymous general flaunts his fierce contempt for the electorate: Whats the matter, you dissentious rogues, That, rubbing the poor itch of your opinion, Make yourselves scabs? His refusal to be polite to voters leads ...
  47 minutes ago

• "Steve Jobs, the Third Way and the Future of Social Democracy" by Henning Meyer

  
  Social Europe Journal — Authority: 120
  The late Steve Jobs was certainly not an easy person to deal with and as Apple CEO a very demanding manager. But nobody can deny that his vision and instincts for clever designs and what people...
  1 hour ago

• Arab Spring Seminar

  
  DoD Live — Authority: 518
  Video provided by DMA Europe The potential rippling effects on regions caused by revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East are discussed at the Department of Defense-sponsored conference held at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies. [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. ...
  22 hours ago

• The Cold War Minute for February 2

  
  The Cold War Minute — Authority: 110
  BerlinBrigade.com presents The Cold War Minute: February 2 edition. In this episode, we talk about Hungarian Republic, Uganda, F16, Dublin, FBI, Afghanistan, Apartheid You can also download the todays episode of The Cold War Minute by right clicking and saving here for February 2 KEYWORDS: • Cold War ...
  22 hours ago

• How nuclear power decision was fixed

  
  A World to Win — Authority: 107
  Parliament was conned by New Labour and the ConDem coalition into supporting new nuclear power stations by distorted evidence and research that ignored important alternatives to achieve emissions cuts, including energy saving measures. The truth behind this massive deception is revealed in new report that describes ...
  1 day ago

• "Social Democracy and Equal Opportunity" by John Quiggin

  
  Social Europe Journal — Authority: 120
  My critique of Tyler Cowen’s post arguing the unimportance of social mobility has started off, or maybe merged into, of those old-fashioned blog firestorms we used to have back in the day, now also...
  1 day ago

• The Cold War Minute for February 1

  
  The Cold War Minute — Authority: 110
  BerlinBrigade.com presents The Cold War Minute: February 1 edition. In this episode, we talk about UN General Secretary, Vietnam War, United Arab Republic, Canadian Forces, Iran You can also download the todays episode of The Cold War Minute by right clicking and saving here for February 1 KEYWORDS: • ...
  1 day ago

• The Next Marx? By John Feffer

  
  Creative-i — Authority: 121
  he financial crisis and the Occupy movement have convulsed the political spectrum along a different dimension. The political categories of Right and Left—which derives from where opposing representatives, royalists versus radicals, sat in the French national assembly around the time of the 1789 revolution—have ...
  2 days ago

• When political elites lack a sense of crisis — Donny Syofyan

  
  Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger — Authority: 123
  February 1, 2012 www.themalaysianinsider.com When political elites lack a sense of crisis — Donny Syofyan It is really shocking to see the dramatic pictures of students risking their lives to get to their school in Sanghiang Tanjung after three suspension bridges in Lebak regency, Banten province, ...
  2 days ago

• Aung San Suu Kyi gives speech to people at NLD office in Dawei (Part1+ 2)

  
  democracy for burma — Authority: 127
  She said she wants to revise a 2008 army-drafted constitution that gives the military wide-ranging powers, including the ability to appoint key cabinet members, take control of the country in a state of emergency and occupy a quarter of the seats in parliament.
  2 days ago

• 
  Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger — Authority: 123
  February 1, 2012 www.awsj.com Israel Dominates the Debate in Malaysia – Again By Shibani Mahtani (01-31-12) Recent comments by Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim have demonstrated yet again how issues related to Israel continue to divide this majority-Muslim country – and could influence the ...
  2 days ago

• Another Reason We Need Open Government Data: To Avoid Informatio...

  
  Computer & Internet - computer-internet.marc8.com — Authority: 140
  Can the future aggregate actions of people be predicted from relevant sets of data that describe them? That, of course, is what Isaac Asimovs invented mathematical discipline of psychohistory was supposed to do. Some Japanese researchers claim to have made some progress towards that goal : These guys have used ...
  2 days ago

• in the US official emails fall under Freedom of Information Act

  
  No quality without security — Authority: 122
  There was already the request for the official emails of Palin and the Bush White House, but now it is coming…
  2 days ago

• Eskinder Nega | Prisoner of Conscience

  
  Africa Unchained — Authority: 117
  Jason McLure of the Committee to Protect Journalists writing in the Ethiopian review It would be hard to find a better symbol of media repression in Africa than Eskinder Nega. The veteran Ethiopian journalist and dissident blogger has been detained at least seven times by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s ...
  2 days ago

• what are acta, PIP, SOPA and all the other secretive agreements and comments

  
  No quality without security — Authority: 122
  ACTA : ACTA is an international trade agreement that criminalizes intellectual property theft across borders. Its targets are both those counterfeiting physical…
  2 days ago

• About That Democracy Plan in Egypt

  
  Conservative Daily News — Authority: 580
  Two U.S. political activists groups pushing for what is largely an undefined “democracy” in Egypt under the guise of  human rights/ election monitoring [U.S. Government funded]  programs have been told they will not be allowed to leave Egypt recently. The two groups involved are the International Republican ...
  3 days ago

• Thousands of people welcome the freedom fighters.wmv

  
  democracy for burma — Authority: 127
  [IMG: http://img.youtube.com/vi/yDiAEe_w9iU/2.jpg]
  3 days ago

• Hating Democracy in the Middle East?

  
  OUPblog — Authority: 510
  By Steven A. Cook Has the Washington foreign policy establishment disavowed democracy in the Middle East? According to Salon.com’s Glenn Greenwald the answer is a resounding yes. Greenwald, a lawyer by training and blogger/author by trade, has long been a trenchant critic of various “establishments.” In ...
  3 days ago

• Ideal Mayoral/City Council candidate campaign agenda: Getting Our Citys S*** Together

  
  Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space — Authority: 417
  So I just woke up from a dream/nightmare where I somehow became an at-large City Councilmember through appointment and I had to share an office with Vincent Orange (in DC, Councilmembers have their own individual offices, as do councilmembers in most places). I wouldnt agree to something he wanted me to do, but I ...
  3 days ago

• The Nature and Effects of Imperialism by Fazal Rahman, Ph.D.

  
  Dandelion Salad — Authority: 496
  by Fazal Rahman, Ph.D. Guest Writer Dandelion Salad Originally published on imperialismandthethirdworld.wordpress.com January 31, 2012 Multidimensional and complex nature and effects of imperialism on democracy, society, nature, and human nature “At the same pace that mankind masters nature, man seems to become ...
  3 days ago

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