b) The lack of a "civil society." We sometimes forget that "democracy" is not just a political system, but a social system as well. In other words, democracies are marked not just by the fact that they have freely elected representatives, from different parties, at all levels of government. They also have a civil society -- a network of associations, organizations, religious institutions, non-profit groups supporting one cause or another, etc., etc. -- that do much of society's work, and stand between the state and the citizen. The former Soviet republics have been slow to develop such a network. Some have not developed one at all. So there is little standing between the state and the citizen.
I am so glad someone brought up this point - one which is rarely heard in any kind of discussion of politics. I think that the decline of civil society in the USA is one of the more disturbing phenomenon going on today. IMO, democracy cannot survive without a flourishing civil society for two major reasons:
1)These intermediate organizations accomplish their primary function - churches as a place of worship, unions as the workers' advocate, neighborhood crime watches - fight/deter crime. People become less dependent on the government to solve their problems.
2)The other reason is that these institutions are vital is that they provide a setting in which citizens can learn to "do" politics outside of the government. Compromises have to be made, egos have to be kept in check, decisions have to be reached. When civil society deteriorates, the development of political (in the classical sense) skills also suffers.
Did you ever read any of Robert Putnam's writings? |
