Democracy
“Democracy” is often invoked as a value or aspiration—something societies are said to have, lose, or defend. In practice, most conflicts labeled as democratic crises trace back to narrower questions: who is allowed to participate, whose inputs count, and where binding decisions are actually made.
Definition
Democracy refers to a system of governance in which authority is formally derived from the public through structured mechanisms of participation, representation, and decision-making.
Technical meaning vs common usage
Technical meaning:
An institutional arrangement defined by rules governing participation, representation, aggregation of preferences, and enforcement of outcomes.
Common usage:
A general condition of freedom, fairness, or public voice, often treated as synonymous with legitimacy or good outcomes.
How the term gets stretched or misused
Used to describe values or culture rather than decision structures
Treated as present or absent instead of variable by mechanism
Invoked without specifying who participates or how power is exercised
Used to evaluate outcomes rather than processes
Where the power sits
Power in democratic systems concentrates at specific decision points: who sets eligibility rules, how districts or constituencies are drawn, how votes or inputs are aggregated, and which bodies have final authority. These rules determine whose participation translates into binding decisions—and whose does not—regardless of how democratic the system is described.
This does not mean…
All participants have equal influence
Majority preference always governs outcomes
Public input directly controls policy
Democratic procedures eliminate power concentration
Why precision matters
When democracy is treated as a moral label, disagreement becomes existential and opaque. Precision shifts attention to mechanics: participation rules, representation structures, and authority boundaries. This explains why democratic systems can produce exclusion, gridlock, or durable outcomes that large portions of the public oppose.
Neutrality note
This definition describes democracy as a system of governance structured by participation and decision rules, not as an endorsement or critique of any political ideology, institutional design, or policy outcome.
Related HISW
Words Matter: Representation, Federalism
Basics: Democratic Systems
Explainers: How Democratic Decisions Get Made
Sources
Sources below describe democracy as a system of governance defined by participation rules and institutional authority.
International IDEA — The Global State of Democracy (2022)
https://www.idea.int/gsodCongressional Research Service — Democracy in the United States: Constitutional Foundations (2021)
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R42107