Limits of and to Democracy

Abstract

Democracy is often lauded as the best form of government. However, it has come under threat in recent years, with a surge in authoritarianism around the world. If democracy is indeed the best form of government, why are so many countries turning away from it? Granted, in some cases, the shift away from democracy has been by force rather than choice. However, authoritarian-minded leaders have often managed to manufacture significant popular support for their anti-democractic agendas. In an effort to better understand democracy and the threats to it, this paper explores three of the most commonly cited criticisms of democracy: its dependence on irrational and uninformed decision makers, its unresponsiveness to sudden and long-term threats, and its failure to protect minority rights. It concludes that these inherent problems may be mitigated through certain non-democratic protections and that, ironically, democracy may be more effective in less pure forms. It further asserts that acknowledging the limits of democracy and how they may be mitigated through limits to democracy is all the more important in a rapidly autocraticizing world, as doing so may ultimately empower us to build more resilient, albeit less pure, democracies that are better equipped to deal with the complex challenges facing humanity in the 21st century.

Key Words: democracy, autocracy, representation, minorities, responsiveness, political decisionmaking, voter behavior