Liberal Democracy | Research & Encyclopedia Articles

Liberal Democracy

Liberal democracy is generally understood to be a system of government in which people consent to their rulers, and rulers, in turn, are constitutionally constrained to respect individual rights. However, widely divergent views exist regarding the meaning of consent and individual rights, of the particular forms of government that are best suited to the preservation of popular rule and the protection of rights, and of the types and effectiveness of constitutional constraints within particular forms of government. Nonetheless, liberal democracy is common throughout most of the developed world. At a minimum, liberal democracy is characterized by the following:

1. Widespread political participation by adult citizens, including members of minority groups that include racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic, and economic minorities;
2. Secret ballots and frequent regular elections;
3. Broad freedom of individuals to form and support political parties, with each party free to present its views and form a government;
4. Governments that can alter, interpret, and enforce laws to suit (within limits) the majority's preferences;
5. Effective guarantees of individual and minority rights, especially in areas such as freedom of speech, press, conscience, religion, assembly, and equal treatment before the law; and
6. Limited governmental powers, which are kept in check by constitutional guarantees including separation of powers (so that all executive, legislative, and judicial powers are not, in effect, exercised by the same person or institution).

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