Outcomes of Democracy – PYQs – Answers

Ans. Democracy means “rule by the people”. It is just a form of government, can only create conditions for achieving something.

Ans. Democratic form of government.

Ans. Democratic government enhances the dignity of the individual. It promotes equality among citizens.

Ans. (i) Right to the citizens to choose their leaders and keep check on them.

(ii) If required people can participate in decision making either directly or through indirectly or through representatives.

(iii) It produces accountable, responsible and legitimate government

Ans. Merits of democracy are:

(i) Democracy assures equality in every spheres of life like political, social and economic.

(ii) It upholds basic individual liberties like freedom of speech, etc.

(iii) Due obedience to laws.

Ans. Democracy is considered to be successful because:

(i) The rulers elected by the people must take all major decision and not the rich and powerful.

(ii) The election must offer a free choice and opportunity to the people.

(iii) The choice should be available to all the people based on political equality.

Ans. Corruption of government:

(i) Democracies often frustrate the needs of people and often ignore the demands of the majority.

(ii) The routine tales of corruption are enough to convince us that democracy is not free from this evil.

(iii) But a democratic government is people’s own government and pays heed to their demands.

(iv) People have believed that democracy will be attentive and make policies that will free the country from corruption

Ans. Democracy is a better form of government when compared with dictatorship or any other alternative form of government because it:

(i) Promotes equality among citizens

(ii) Enhances the dignity of the individual

(iii) Improves the quality of decision making

(iv) Provides a method to resolve conflicts

(v) Allows room to correct mistakes.

(vi) Guarantees rights to citizens.

Ans. (i) A government may take decisions very fast. But it may take decisions that are not accepted by the people and may, therefore, face problems.

(ii) In contrast, the democratic government will take more time to follow procedure before arriving at a decision.

(iii) However, because it has followed procedure, its decisions may be more acceptable to the people and more effective. So, the cost of time that democracy pays is perhaps worth it.

Ans. There is an overwhelming support for the idea of democracy all over the world because:

(i) A democratic government is people’s own government.

(ii) The evidence from South Asia shows that the support exists in countries with democratic regimes.

(iii) People wished to be ruled by representatives elected by them.

(iv) People believe that democracy is suitable for their country.

(v) Democracy has the ability to generate its own support which in itself is an outcome that cannot be ignored.

Ans. The expected outcomes of democracy are as follows:

(i) A government that is chosen and accountable to the people is called democratic government.

(ii) A government that is responsive to the needs of the people.

(iii) Economic growth and development reducing all forms of inequality and end of poverty.

(iv) Accommodating all social diversities.

(v) Ensuring the dignity and freedom of the individuals.

Ans. (i) Democracy gives power to people to elect their government, control it and remove it from power. It allows people to choose their representatives through elections and ensures that all its citizens have a say in the functioning of the government.

(ii) There is no monopoly of power by a person or a party. Different political parties compete with each other in a democratic form of government. If the government does not fulfil its promises or fails to live up to the expectations of the people, then it is very likely that it will not get re-elected.

(iii) Democracy ensures that the rights of its people are protected by the state and the government functions according to the laws.

(iv) In a democratic set up, there is no distinction between people based on race, religion, caste, colour or birth. Equal opportunities are provided to all – to be educated, to grow as good citizens and to earn their living.

(v) Criticism and feedback are two important mechanism of democracy to control the government. The government’s policies are scrutinised and evaluated by the people through the media and the opposition parties.

Ans. Democracy is seen to be good in principles but not in practice because of the following reasons:

(i) The decision-making process in democracy is time-taking, whereby justice delayed is justice denied.

(ii) The tyranny of the majority overrides the will of the minority.

(iii) Corruption and red-tapism dominates the functioning of democracies.

(iv) An illiterate and uninformed electorate fails to give itself a legitimate and accountable government.

(v) The role of charismatic leaders and dynastic politics dominates political cultures.

Ans. The democratic governments are better than other forms of governments because:

(i) Democratic governments have formal Constitution, while it is not the case in other form of governments.

(ii) They hold regular elections, while it is not the case in other form of governments.

(iii) They have political parties, whereas there is no such thing in other form of governments.

(iv) They guarantee rights to citizens, while it is not the case in the other form of governments.

(v) Such governments allow room to correct mistakes, while it is not there in the other form of government.

(vi) Such government accommodates social diversities, while no such thing in other form of government.

Ans. In democracy decision making will be based on norms and procedures. A citizen has the right and the means to examine the process of decision making. A citizen who wants to know if a decision was taken through the correct procedure can find this out.

Ans. Democratic governments in practice are accountable because:

(i) It is right to expect democracy to form a government that follows procedures and is accountable to the people.

(ii) It is also expected that the democratic government develops mechanisms for citizens to take part in decision making whenever they think it as fit.

(iii) The democratic government is accountable to the people. It ignores the will of the people they will not elect their ruler in the next general election.

(iv) The procedures and decision making process should be transparent for democratic government to be accountable to the people.

Ans. A democratic government is called legitimate government because:

(i) it is people’s own government.

(ii) It may be slow, less efficient and not very responsive and clean, but it is people’s government.

(iii) There is an overwhelming support for the idea of democracy all over the world. People of South Asia like, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and Nepal have no doubt about the suitability of democracy for their own country.

(iv) People wish to be ruled by representatives elected by them. Democracy’s ability to generate its own support makes it more legitimate.

Ans. Transparency is the most important feature of democracy:

(i) Democracy ensures that decision-making will be based on certain norms and procedures.

(ii) So, a citizen who wants to know if a decision was taken through correct procedures can find this out.

(iii) The citizen has the right and the means to examine the process of decision-making. This is known as transparency.

Ans. Democracy is accountable and responsive to the needs and expectations of the citizens because:

(i) In a democracy, people have the right to choose their representatives and the people will have control over them.

(ii) Citizens have the right to participate in decision making that affects them all. This ensures that the working of the government is transparent.

(iii) Everybody expects the government to be attentive to the needs and expectations of the people.

(iv) It is expected that the democratic government develops mechanisms for citizens to hold the government accountable.

(v) The opposition parties can also question and criticize the government policies. They keep a check on the ruling party and make sure that it does not misuse the power.

Ans. It is true some people think that democracy produces a less effective government because:

(i) Non-democratic rulers do not have to bother about deliberation in assemblies or worry about majorities and public opinion.

(ii) They can be very quick and efficient in decision making and implementation.

(iii) But democracy is based on the idea of deliberation and negotiation. So, some delay is bound to take place.

(iv) Most democracies fall short of elections that provide a fair chance to everyone.

(v) Democratic governments do not have a very good record when it comes to sharing information with citizens.

(vi) Democracies often frustrate the needs of the people and often ignore the demands of a majority of its population.

Ans. Economic development in dictatorial regimes have slightly higher rate. For example, in China the rate of economic growth is higher.

Ans. Democracies are based on political equality:

(i) All citizens have equal role in electing representatives.

(ii) Parallel to the process of bringing individuals into the political arena, we find growing economic inequalities.

(iii) Democracy does not appear to be very successful in reducing economic inequalities.

(iv) The ultra-rich enjoy a highly disproportionate share of wealth and income.

(v) At the bottom of the society, the people have very little to depend on.

(vi) It is difficult to meet their basic needs of life, such as food, clothing, house, education and health.

Ans. Democracies are based on political equality. All individuals have equal rights in electing representatives, but we find economic inequalities because–

(i) A small number of ultra-rich enjoy a highly disproportionate share of wealth and income.

(ii) Those at the bottom of the society have very little to depend upon. Their incomes have been declining.

(iii) Sometimes they find it difficult to meet their basic needs of life such as food, clothes, houses, education and health.

(iv) In actual life, democracies do not appear to be very successful in reducing economic inequalities because poor constitute a large proportion of our voters and no party will like to lose its votes

Ans. The outcomes one can reasonably expect of the democracy are:

(i) In the political sphere–Right to vote, right to contest.

(ii) In the economic sphere–Minimised economic inequalities.

(iii) In the social sphere–Equal protection to women, SCs, STs and OBCs.

Ans. (i) Democracies do not appear to be very successful in reducing economic inequalities. Although majority of voters constitute the poverty ridden group, yet democratically elected government do not appear to be as keen to address the question of poverty as you would expect them to.

(ii) Situation is much worse in some of the countries where people depend upon rich countries for food supplies.

(iii) But even then democracy is favoured because it provides the opportunity to change the rulers.

Ans. Political expression of social division are as follows:

(i) This allows various disadvantaged and marginal social groups to express their grievances and get the government to attend to these.

(ii) They can voice their demand in a peaceful and constitutional manner through elections

(iii) They can fight for their recognition and also to accommodate diversity.

Ans. (i) If we consider all democracies and all dictatorships for the fifty years between 1950 and 2000, dictatorships have slightly higher rate of economic growth.

(ii) Economic development depends on several factors: country’s population size, global situation, cooperation from other countries, economic priorities adopted by the country, etc.

(iii) However, the difference in the rates of economic development between less developed countries with dictatorships and democracies is negligible.

(iv) Overall, it cannot be said that democracy is a guarantee of economic development. But we can expect democracy not to lag behind dictatorships in this respect.

(v) With such a significant difference in the rates of economic growth between countries under dictatorship and democracy, it is better to prefer democracy as it has several other positive outcomes. For example: North Korea has higher rate of economic growth than India

Ans. In actual life, democracies do not appear to be reducing inequalities.

(i) The poor constitute a large proportion of our voters and no party likes to lose their votes, yet democratically elected governments have not addressed the question of poverty as one would have expected them to.

(ii) The people in several poor countries are now dependent on the rich countries even for food supplies.

Argument in support:

(i) It enhances the dignity of the individuals.

(ii) It improves the quality of decision· making.

(iii) It provides a method to resolve conflicts.

Ans. Democracy and the economic outcomes: (i) Slow economic development and economic growth due to population.

(ii) Basic needs of life, such as food clothing, shelter is difficult to achieve.

(iii) Prevalence of economic inequalities.

(iv) Poverty is still a big issue.

(v) Allocation of resources in few hands.

(vi) Unjust distribution of goods and opportunities.

Ans. Dignity of individual (gender, caste, religion) is one example of social democracy.

Ans. The values that are associated with democracy producing a harmonious social life are:

(i) Equality among all human beings.

(ii) Respect for individual freedom.

(iii) Democracies accommodate various social divisions.

(iv) Democracies reduce the possibility of tensions becoming explosive or violent.

(v) Ability to handle social differences, divisions and conflicts.

Ans. Democracy accommodates social diversities because:

(i) Democracies develop a procedure to conduct their competition. This reduces the possibility of these tensions becoming explosive or violent.

(ii) No society can fully and permanently resolve conflicts among different groups. But we can certainly learn to respect these differences and can evolve a mechanism to negotiate these differences.

(iii) Ability to handle social differences, divisions and conflicts is thus a definite plus point of democratic regimes

(iv) Example: Belgium has successfully negotiated differences among its ethnic population. This reduces the possibility of tensions.

Ans. (i) It is necessary to understand that democracy is not simply rule by majority. The majority always needs to work with minority so that governments function to represent the general view.

(ii) It is also necessary that rule by majority does not become rule by majority community in terms of religion or race or linguistic group. The exception is Sri Lanka where majoritarianism is followed.

Ans. Favourable conditions generally provided to people under a democratic rule are:

(i) It promotes dignity to everyone irrespective of caste, creed and religion.

(ii) It ensures freedom of the individual.

(iii) It provides equal status and opportunity.

(iv) It provides positive reservation for women and other advantages for discriminated groups.

Ans. (i) Democracies take more time in decision making.

(ii) Democracies fall short of elections that provide a fair chance to everyone and subjecting every decision to public debate.

(iii) The routine takes of corruption are enough to convince that democracies are not free of evil.

Ans. Ways in which democracy can be redefined to make democracy more effective:

(i) Ensures that views of minority are respected.

(ii) Eliminates caste, religion and gender based discrimination.

(iii) People enjoy extensive rights from right to vote to participate in elections.

(iv) People enjoy social and economic rights.

Ans. The role of citizens in a democracy are as follows:

(i) Citizens exercise their rights and freedoms and get benefited from democratic set-up.

(ii) They must be aware of their rights and duties.

(iii) They should be aware of the issues and problems the country is facing.

(iv) They must cooperate in maintaining law and order.

(v) People must consider other’s needs and interest also.

Ans. (i) Democracies throughout the world have recognized the fact that people should be treated with due respect. The passion for respect and freedom is the basis of democracy.

(ii) Democracies recognize all individuals as equal. This equality is a big thing for the societies which have been built for long on the basis of subordination and domination.

(iii) Most societies across the world are male-dominated but democracies have created sensitivity that equal treatment of women are necessary ingredients of a democratic society.

(iv) Caste-based inequalities and atrocities are also not acceptable to democracies. All these combined together enhance the dignity and freedom of the individual.

Ans. A public expression of dissatisfaction with democracy shows the success of democratic project as

(i) it shows that people have developed awareness and the ability to expect.

(ii) people look critically at power holders. They want to make democracy better.

(iii) they come up with expressions and complaints.

(iv) they value their democratic rights.

Ans. To some extent complaints are treated as testimony to the success of democracy. We can prove the statement by analysing certain facts like:

(i) Slow and inefficient government: Some people complain that democracy is a less effective governments and it is slow in functioning. There is no doubt that non-democratic government can be more effective because they are fast in their decision making. But it is not certain that decisions are right or wrong.

(ii) Unsuccessful in reducing economic exploitation: There is no denying the fact that democracies do not appear to have been successful in reducing economic inequality. But, it is only possible in a democracy that people can raise their voice against not only economic inequalities, but also against all types of inequalities. All these facts show that complaints are treated as testimony to the success of democracy.

(iii) Expectations from democracy: It also function as the criteria for judging any democratic country. The fact that people are complaining is itself a testimony to the success of democracy. It shows that people have developed awareness and the ability to expect and to look critically at power holders.

(iv) Testing in Democracy: As democracy passes one test, it produces another test. As people get some benefits of democracy, they ask for more and want to make democracy even better. That is why, when we ask people about the way democracy functions, they will always come up with more expectations, and many complaints.

Ans. (i) Every individual wants respect from fellow beings. Often conflicts arise among individuals because some feel that they are not treated with due respect.

(ii) The passions for respect and freedom are the basis of democracy.

(iii) Democracy no doubt promotes dignity of the citizens and treats everyone equally.

(iv) In case of dignity of women, long struggle of women are able to win them some respect and dignity in the society today.

(v) In the case of caste inequalities, democracy in India has strengthened the claims of disadvantaged and discriminated castes for equal status and equal opportunities.

(vi) A public expression of dissatisfactions with democracy shows the success of the democratic projects. It transforms people from the status of a subject into that of a citizen.

Ans. “Democracy stands much superior in promoting dignity and freedom to the citizens” due to:

(i) Every individual wants to receive respect from fellow beings.

(ii) The passion for respect and freedom is the basis of any democracy.

(iii) Democracies throughout the world have recognized this. It has been achieved in various degrees in various democracies.

(iv) Long struggles by women have got them respect and equal treatment.

(v) In many democracies, women were deprived of their right to vote for a long time which they have achieved now.

(vi) In India l/3rd of seats have been reserved for women in local bodies.

(vii) Democracy has strengthened the claims of the disadvantaged and discriminated castes for equal status and equal opportunity. (Any five points to be mentioned)

Ans. (i) It will be a fair expectation that democracy should produce a harmonious social life. Democracy usually develop a procedure to conduct their competition. This reduces the possibility of these tensions becoming explosive or violent.

(ii) No society can fully and permanently resolve conflicts among different groups. But we can certainly learn to respect these differences and we can also evolve mechanism to negotiate the differences. Democracy is best suited to produce this outcome.

(iii) Non-democratic government often turn a blind eye to or suppress internal social differences. Ability to handle social differences, divisions and conflicts is thus a definite plus point of democratic government.

(iv) It is necessary to understand that democracy is not simply rule by majority opinion. The majority always needs to work with the minority so that governments function to represent the general view.

(v) It is also necessary that rule by majority does not become rule by majority community in terms of religion or race or linguistic group. Rule by majority means that in case of every decision or in case of every election, different persons and groups may and can form a majority. Democracy remains democracy only as long as every citizen has a chance of being in majority at some point of time.

Ans. Respect and Equal treatment of women are necessary ingredients of a democratic society:

(i) Economic independence or access to an inherited or self-generated income is considered to be the major means of empowering women.

(ii) Equal political and civil rights as men.

(iii) Ways of autonomy and freedom.

(iv) Distributive justice to reduce inequalities in resources and power.

(v) Love, universal brotherhood, sincerity, honesty and integrity of character, firm attitude of rendering help.

(vi) Removing social evils including violence, torture, humiliation, etc.

Ans. (i) No society can fully or permanently resolve conflicts among different groups. But we can certainly learn to respect these differences and we can also evolve mechanisms to negotiate the differences. Democracy is best suited to produce this outcome. Non-democratic regimes often turn a blind eye to or suppress internal social differences. Ability to handle social differences, divisions and conflicts is thus a definite plus point of democratic regimes.

(ii) Democracy continues to be democracy as long as all citizens have a chance to be part of majority at any point of time. If someone is debarred from being part of majority on the basis of birth then democracy is said to be concentrated in the hands of a few people.

(iii) It is necessary to understand that democracy is not simply a rule by majority opinion. The majority always needs to work with the minority so that government can function to represent the opinion of common people.

(iv) The rule of majority should not be ruled by majority on the basis of religion or race or linguistic group, etc. Rule by majority means that in case of every decision or in case of very election, different persons and groups may form a majority.

Ans. In most countries, the democracy produces a government that is accountable to the citizens and responsive to needs and expectations of the citizens. Thus, it promotes equality among citizens. People wish to be ruled by representatives elected by them as in a democratic government. It makes them believe that it is suitable for their country as it is the legitimate government. Democracies usually develop a procedure to conduct their competition. This reduces the possibility of ethnic tensions becoming explosive or violent.

No society can fully and permanently resolve conflicts among different groups. But we can certainly learn to respect their differences and we can also evolve mechanisms to negotiate the differences. Democracy is best suited to produce this outcome. Belgium is successful example of negotiating differences among ethnic groups. Ability to handle social differences, divisions and conflicts is a definite a plot point of democratic regimes.

Thus, Yes, we can easy say that democracies lead to peaceful and harmonious life among citizens.