Introduction to Comparative Politics
Lecture 02: Assessing the Quality of Democracy

Part I: What is a Democracy?

This two-part lecture is offered as the first real study in my Introduction to Comparative Politics class. Here we spend two days looking at what a democracy is and how it functions.

Going beyond the minimal understandings of free and fair elections, democracies are political systems that allow for high degrees of contestation and high degrees of participation - two elements noted in Robert Dahl's classic work Polyarchy (1971).

This lecture also looks at the historical development of modern states that could result competitive oligarichies, inclusive hegemonies, or "polyarchies".

Michael Rossi
Rutgers University
Department of Political Science

Recorded January 25, 2017

свернуть