Law and Democracy in Latin America

«Democracy, Law and Comparative Politics

O' Donnell Democratic Theory Study Questions

  1. Why is O'Donnell unhappy with existing definitions of democracy? (Minimalist definitions that are not so minimal, or definitions that are not realistic)
  2. What regime conditions must be present for that regime to be democratic?
  3. What must elections be like?
  4. What besides elections must be present?
  5. Which conditions are "stipulative" (i.e., true by definition) and which are inductively derived conditions probabilistically associated with the existence of fair elections? (and what does this mean?)
  6. What does this imply for the list of "political freedoms" that is often a part of definitions of democracy? Will it always be the same? Is it easy to distinguish between "political" freedoms (necessary for democracy) and "civil" freedoms (not necessary)?
  7. What does the concept of agency have to do with democracy?
  8. How is the social context related to the presence or absence of democracy?