Our group photo after the whole day round table discussion. Barun is 4th from left standing. To his left is Peter Wong, Executive Director of LRI, and to Barun's right (3rd from left) is Simon Lee, LRI co-founder and moderator of the Reading Salon. To my left, 2nd from right sitting, is Andrew Work, co-founder and first Executive Director of LRI.
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My take home points from the 2013 Salon.
The idea of democracy as the
critical political institution has clearly been established. Just over two
hundred years ago, the founding fathers of the United States of America, were
concerned about the majoritarian aspects of democracy. The debate was
encapsulated in the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers. In the Federalist
Papers, the authors underscore the need for a strong central government in
order to hold the states together in a nascent country. In the Ant-Federalist
paper, many leaders from the states argue the case for strengthening the lower
tiers of government, so that a strong people would together strengthen the
nation. Two hundred years later, James Buchanan, Nobel prize winning economist,
wrote his classic text "Calculus of Consent", where he explored a
whole range of ways to restrain the majoritarian threats on the one hand, and
prevent capture of state agencies by vested interests on the other hand. These
three books, were in the list of readings selected by for this year's salon on
democracy.
A number of key points that
emerged from the discussions at the salon, underscored the essential features
of democratic politics.
Democracy is not about majority
rule, but about recognition of and respect for minority opinions. So that the
minority view of today, may enjoy the freedom to peacefully persuade others,
and could become a majority opinion of tomorrow. This is why democracy requires
consent of the governed, so that the diverse minorities do not feel so
aggrieved as to try and revolt or secede from the rest.
For democracy to survive in large
communities and countries, where only representative democracy is possible and
practical, democracy has to be minimal, so that it does not offend or alienate
too many people. Secondly, as societies become complex, there is a need to
recognise the challenges of centralised government, and devolve greater
political authority and autonomy to lower tiers of government and local
communities. Because only at such community level, with shared values, can
there be a realistic prospect for widest consensus on such complex issues.
Threats to democracy arise from
the majoritarian perspective which is reflected in centralisation of decision
making. This invariably leads to populism and patronage. Consequent spread of
corruption, triggers cynicism, and undermines the legitimacy of democratic
polity. Growing illegitimacy provides an incentive for demagogues and dictators
to seize the levers of power by promising to solve all the ills of society. And
democracy collapses in to despotism.
Democracy and markets are
analogous. Democracy empowers the citizens with choices in the political
domain. While markets empowers the consumers with choice in the economic
domain. Adam Smith had warned about the tendency of businessmen and traders, to
collude, seek special protection and privileges from the state, at the cost of
the consumers. And others have warned about the special protection and
privileges that many politicians seek, in the name of the public, but actually
endangering the political freedoms of the citizens. This is why economic
competition and open market are critical in keeping businesses focussed on
delivering better goods and services in order to win the customers. So too does
political competition in a vibrant democracy, ensures that politicians offer a
diverse range of political options to the citizens to choose from.
In a competitive democratic
environment, politicians could either be businessmen, offering the conventional
political ideas and operate within the prevailing political paradigm, or they
could be like entrepreneurs, offering radical ideas, in a manner that would be
understood and accepted by the people, thereby shifting the centre of political
discourse, itself.
Economic and political freedoms
go together. All the developed and rich countries are democracies. Even the
small principalities and city states, which are rich, people enjoy a very high
degree of economic freedom, and share the basic elements of participatory
politics, that is democracy. On the
other hand, poor and less developed countries, are much lower on the economic
and political freedom scores.
Barun Mitra
Liberty Institute, New Delhi
www.InDefenceofLiberty.org
www.EmpoweringIndia.org
www.RighttoProperty.org
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See also
Lion Rock 7: Reading Club Salon 2013, Hong Kong, September 17, 2013
Lion Rock 7: Reading Club Salon 2013, Hong Kong, September 17, 2013
Lion Rock 8: On Opposition, Factions and James Madison, October 01, 2013
Lion Rock 9: Federalism, Decentralization and George Clinton, October 07, 2013
Business 360 12: Optimum Size of Government, October 13, 2013
Lion Rock 10: On Having Centralized or Self-Government, October 17, 2013
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