... principle of representative democracy. Obviously, not everyone has the time, knowledge, interest, and skill to participate much in self-government, so we elect people to represent us. From time to time, we pass judgment on their performance by means of elections. And yet, according to Jean-Jacques Rousseu, Englishmen are slaves, except for once every five years when they elect their representatives. According to the highly influential tradition of participatory democracy, when citizens are not actually ...
... in the conduct of elections and how such flaws might be remedied. Even if Putin were adamantly opposed to "clean" elections, (which he is not), his regime does not have anywhere near the repressive capabilities to prevent gradual reform. Has ... ... remain impossible, where violent revolution will always remain the only alternative? Most likely not. More likely is that a Russian public with increasing political awareness and political maturity will become better able to influence the affairs of ...
Political parties are alleged to provide their electorates with choice. Cynics might object that, while elections give an electorate the feeling that they have choice, this is only an illusion. Soviet propagandists used to like to point out that the choice is only between Rockefeller millionaires and Kennedy millionaires, that is, among factions of the ...
