Majoritarian vs. Consensus Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Majoritarian vs. Consensus Democracy - Essay Example two, I consider the Majoritarian model to be most applicable and closer in theoretical intent to democracy than the Consensus model but I would be neglecting my prime duties if I do not say that the Consensus model is more applicable in the real world and it the system to which I would give my vote if there was ever an election between the two theories. The first thing to be noted about democracy, as it is presented by Dahl (1956) is that it is â€Å"a state of affairs† (Pg, 50). It is not considered primarily a system of government or even a way of life since democracy has several prerequisites in terms of the level of civilization which a particular group of people must have before they can implement democracy. Perhaps that is why history records an age of kings before the time of the elected philosopher kings was recommended by social scientists. A certain level of sophistication in terms of culture and the way of life is an essential requirement for the establishment of democracy. In fact, this level of social sophistication is so important that it has been suggested that â€Å"The first and crucial variables to which political scientists must direct their attention are social and not constitutional† (Dahl 1956, Pg. 31). The problem comes into play when we notice that the demands of a truly democratic system can only be met by only a few countries. Very few cultures can lay a rightful claim to a Majoritarian model since the prerequisites are so high. On the same page, Dahl makes the observation that: â€Å"To say that perfect attainment of political equality and popular sovereignty is, by definition of terms, consistent only with the majority principle is not to enunciate a wholly useless proposition, but neither is it very helpful.† (Dahl 1956, Pg. 31) The Majoritarian model depends on several things which must be present in a system before such a democracy can be established. The first requirement is a mass participation in politics by people who know how