In their essay here (https://theloop.ecpr.eu/how-to-get-to-the-core-of-democracy/), Stark, Osterberg-Kaufmann and Mohamad-Klotzbach argue the following:
"Many criticisms of conceptions of democracy are directed more at the institutional design than at its normative underpinnings. These include such things as the concept of representativeness. We propose focussing more on the normative foundations assessed by the different institutional frameworks than discussing the institutional frameworks themselves."
This position seems to contest the design- and problem-focused approaches to studying democracy which are oriented more toward functionality and effectiveness than justification.
To turn a phrase from Simone Chambers, now is not a time for philosophizing about democracy. It is, rather, about making democracy work.
What do you think?
https://theloop.ecpr.eu/how-to-get-to-the-core-of-democracy/
I think institutional designs and their foundations are not separate things. Functionality and effectiveness are used to justify democracy.The problem (big problem) is always: does democracy work? If so, for whom? (I'm thinking about the Brazilian case)
From my point of view, it is insufficient to prioritize one aspect over the other. Rather I think that, largely, a comprehensive understanding of democracy requires a holistic approach that considers both institutional design and normative underpinnings. By examining the interplay between these dimensions, scholars and practitioners can gain a more nuanced understanding of democratic systems, evaluate their effectiveness, and identify areas for improvement.
The rules and regulations must facilitate participation of all citizens irrespective of ethnicity, gender, age, religious persuasion or social class. The design of a democracy must be instrumental in facilitating the participation of all in a 'bottom up' approach. If this is operationalized the normative underpinnings of respect for all, tolerance, absence of discrimination, equality of treatment will be reflected. The people who can produce and operationalize such designs must have a balanced personalities. This means that their social, emotional, moral, intellectual, spiritual and cultural capital must be better than average since each of these is critical in the administration of a true democracy. the biggest challenge is that countries and regions are flooded with various types of inequalities that various influential groups have already accepted and do not want to change.
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