James Wong asks the following question in this essay here (https://theloop.ecpr.eu/the-science-of-democracy-is-more-than-falsification/):
what does it mean to study democracy scientifically?
Wong's answer is that it means embracing methodological pluralism. Just as there are many types of democracy there are many methods for studying them.
What would be your answer to this question? What does the scientific study of democracy mean to you?
https://theloop.ecpr.eu/the-science-of-democracy-is-more-than-falsification/
I see at least four methods of studying democracy scientifically:
1. Psephologically in terms of electoral numbers and vote shares of political parties in elections etc. That is the political behavior of voters etc.. The question asked here is how many votes to which party?
2. By studying the social bases of the political parties in a political sociological vein. The question here is which social groups support which party? classes, castes, tribes etc..
3. More deeply in terms of various social classes and their interests in promoting or demoting democracy. The question here is which social groups have their interests being best served either by democracy or by autocracy?
4. fourth one is the institutional approach, wherein the focus not so much is on the philosophical basis of the institutions, but on their functioning in everyday context. The question here concerns which institution is functioning how? The institutions of executive, legislature and judiciary.
These four approaches can be called scientific approaches to democracy, depending how the scientific endeavor under consideration is defined,
I think that, studying democracy scientifically involves a multidisciplinary approach, combining political science, sociology, economics, and other relevant disciplines. It seeks to uncover empirical evidence, identify causal mechanisms, and provide insights to improve democratic governance and protect democratic values.
I believe that for instance, studying democracy scientifically could largely employ ;
1. Conceptual Clarity, trying to define democracy precisely and develop conceptual frameworks to evaluate its various dimensions or aspects.
2.Comparative Analysis; striving to compare different democratic systems across countries and regions to discern patterns and variations.
3. Quantitative and Qualitative Methods: Dealing with quantitative analysis of large datasets and statistical modeling, as well as qualitative methods like case studies, interviews, and ethnographic research.
4. Longitudinal Analysis: analyzing historical trends and tracking changes in democratic practices over time.
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