Social:Folk theory of democracy

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Short description: Political folk belief 
The folk theory of democracy is the belief system that the voting public supports, elects and embraces candidates who reflect the collective "wishes and desires" of the people. The idea is extracted from the 2016 book, Democracy for Realists;

where Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels argue that "the idea that citizens make coherent and intelligible policy decisions, on which governments then act, bears no relationship to how democracy actually works—or could ever work".[1][2]

Origins

The folk theory of democracy draws its ideas from longstanding democratic thought, particularly the idea that political authority originates from people. Political theorists such as John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau stressed popular sovereignty and the general will as sources of legitimate rule.[3] This theory was formalized by Achen and Bartels as a critique of 20th century political models such as Anthony Downs's economic theory of democracy and retrospective voting theories advanced by scholars like V. O. Key Jr.[4]

This theory was gained popularity in the late 20th and 21st century amid research on voter ignorance and partisanship, influenced by works such as Philip Converse's studies on public opinion and Morris Fiorina's retrospective voting model.[5]

Using data from the U.S. elections, Achen and Bartels showed that social identity and economic retrospection are the main drivers of electoral outcomes as opposed to policy reasoning.[6]

Criticism

Some academics have criticized folk theory of democracy for its unrealistic standards, perpetuating myths that hinder effective governance and obscure elite influence. Others have defended modified versions of it, arguing that citizens have sufficient heuristics for functional democracy.[7][8][9]

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References

  1. ↑ Achen, Christopher H.; Bartels, Larry M. (2016). Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691169446. 
  2. ↑ Monbiot, George (4 October 2016). "Lies, fearmongering and fables: that's our democracy". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/04/democracy-people-power-governments-policy. 
  3. ↑ Przeworski, Adam (2016). "Minimalist Conception of Democracy: A Defense". The Good Society (Penn State University Press) 25 (1): 98–109. doi:10.5325/goodsociety.25.1.0098. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvc7770q.5. 
  4. ↑ Steilen, Matthew (2022). "Administration as Democratic Trustee Representation" (PDF). University of Cincinnati College of Law Scholarship and Publications. https://scholarship.law.uc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1472&context=fac_pubs. 
  5. ↑ Aksoy, Cevat Giray; Eichengreen, Barry; Saka, Orkun (2018). "The Political Scar of Epidemics". Insight Turkey (SETA Foundation) 20 (4): 267–269. https://www.insightturkey.com/book-reviews/democracy-for-realists-why-elections-do-not-produce-responsive-government. 
  6. ↑ "Book Review: Democracy for Realists: Why Elections do not Produce Responsive Government by Christopher H. Achen and Larry M. Bartels". London School of Economics Social Policy and Practice Exchange. September 26, 2022. https://sppe.lse.ac.uk/articles/52. 
  7. ↑ Paris, Celia (2017). "Reconciling Democratic Theories and Realities: A Review of Christopher H. Achen and Larry M. Bartels, Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government". The Good Society 25 (1): 119–127. doi:10.5325/goodsociety.25.1.0119. ISSN 1089-0017. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/goodsociety.25.1.0119. 
  8. ↑ Sabl, Andrew. "The Two Cultures of Democratic Theory: Responsiveness, Democratic Quality, and the Empirical-Normative Divide" (in en). Perspectives on Politics 13 (2): 345–365. ISSN 1537-5927. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/abs/two-cultures-of-democratic-theory-responsiveness-democratic-quality-and-the-empiricalnormative-divide/0A9BF5D8453C4488001FD55B1B8B40C0. 
  9. ↑ "Too much or too little democracy? Some reflections on Democracy for Realists" (in en-US). https://www.brookings.edu/articles/too-much-or-too-little-democracy-some-reflections-on-democracy-for-realists/. 




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