https://theloop.ecpr.eu/towards-the-dna-code-of-democracy/

As Janusz Ruszkowski writes, "[t]he most important thing for democracy is to establish a catalogue of its constant, repeatable and inalienable features – the so-called DNA of democracy. Such a DNA code could no longer be manipulated or diluted, because nothing without it could be called democracy."

Supposing that a study of, say, 1,000 democracies drawn equally from across time, space, language, culture and species (what we term the 'ethno-quantic domain') yields this DNA, we run aground on the shoals of practice. Take, for example, the rules and norms, laws and procedures, (let's call the aforementioned 'protocols') ascribed to an electoral process. These protocols can be made to look legitimate but are, after some investigative scrutiny, found to be anything but.

If the philosopher of democracy's first order priority is to establish clear meaning for the term "democracy", Ruszkowski's approach is the DNA route, then the second order priority is to ensue the meaning is being applied as a people intend/expect. But how to do this in this era of increasingly eviscerated polities, where private corporations and mafiosos alike (not necessarily grouping the two together!), are filling in where the state is forced to, or otherwise chooses, to withdraw.

What solution have you in mind for this puzzle?

https://theloop.ecpr.eu/towards-the-dna-code-of-democracy/