Critérios de definição de Democracia - Ainda a propósito do ranking internacional para países democráticos

Como se procede na apresentação e na análise de critérios? A acção é precedida de necessária indicação de critérios, fundamentados, para justificarem a mesma. Seja no caso em que se cria uma lista classificativa, seja quando se propõe acções globais de divulgação/imposição da democracia, ou no mero enunciar de um programa para o sistema educativo. Pergunta-se: Quais são os critérios definidos? E porquê estes?

"There is no consensus on how to measure democracy,
definitions of democracy are contested and there is an
ongoing lively debate on the subject. The issue is not
only of academic interest. For example, although democracy-
promotion is high on the list of American
foreign-policy priorities, there is no consensus within
the American government on what constitutes a democracy.
As one observer recently put it, “the world’s
only superpower is rhetorically and militarily promoting
a political system that remains undefined—and it
is staking its credibility and treasure on that pursuit”
(Horowitz, 2006, p 114).

(...)
Even if a consensus on precise definitions
has proved elusive, most observers today would
agree that, at a minimum, the fundamental features of a
democracy include government based on majority rule
and the consent of the governed, the existence of free
and fair elections, the protection of minorities and respect
for basic human rights. Democracy presupposes
equality before the law, due process and political pluralism.

At present, the best-known measure is produced
by the US-based Freedom House organisation.
The average of its indexes, on a 1 to 7 scale, of political
freedom (based on 10 indicators) and of civil liberties
(based on 15 indicators) is often taken to be a measure
of democracy.

(...)

Freedom House criteria for an electoral democracy include:
1. A competitive, multiparty political system.
2. Universal adult suffrage.
3. Regularly contested elections conducted on the basis
of secret ballots, reasonable ballot security and the
absence of massive voter fraud.
4. Signifi cant public access of major political parties to
the electorate through the media and through generally
open campaigning.

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s democracy index
is based on fi ve categories:

1. Electoral process and pluralism;
2. Civil liberties; 3. The functioning of government;
4. Political participation;

5.and political culture.

The condition of having free and fair
competitive elections, and satisfying related aspects of
political freedom, is clearly the basic requirement of all
defi nitions.

At the same time, even our thicker, more inclusive
and wider measure of democracy does not include
other aspects—which some authors argue are also crucial
components of democracy—such as levels of economic
and social wellbeing. Thus our index respects the
dominant tradition that holds that a variety of social
and economic outcomes can be consistent with political
democracy.

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s index provides a
snapshot of the current state of democracy worldwide
for 165 independent states and two territories. This covers
almost the entire population of the world and the
vast majority of the world’s 192 independent states (27
micro-states are excluded)."

In Economist Intelligence Unit.