1. WHAT MAKES THE ADVANCED DEMOCRACIES DIFFERENT FROM OTHER COUNTRIES?
What makes them economically advanced?
GDP at >$12K PPP, per cap; service-dominant (vs. raw material centered) economies (as a point of comparison, US GDP per cap is roughly 50K)
High political institutionalization, the rule of law, much private property, thick civil society, and much social capital,
Where are they? Why mostly in the global North? Are we going to have more AIDs over time?
Do they share the same culture and history?
Do they all get along all the time?
Some areas of shared economic-related challenges we’ll tackle in the coming sessions: (1) Postmaterialism, identity politics, and changes in what people want; (2) Globalization and challenges to the welfare state and industrialization; (3) Global post-industrialization and competition
Where to the AIDs differ? Where at they the same? Let’s look at some data…

13. WHAT MAKES THE ADVANCED DEMOCRACIES DIFFERENT FROM OTHER COUNTRIES?
What do all democracies have?
mechanisms of accountability
civil liberties and rights
competitive & open elections
the rule of law and citizenship
a vibrant civil society that includes independent political parties, ngo’s with autonomy and information, and a free media
a democratic and tolerant political culture

14. WHERE DO AIDs INSTITUTIONALLY DIFFER?
What are the biggest tradeoffs democracies make in choosing institutions? What core democratic values go into different institutional arrangements? How well are these choices thought out? Some things to think about: How important is (a) majority rule, (b) minority protections and inclusion, (c) liberties and rights, (d) deliberation, (e) informed participation in big decisions, (f) protection against tyranny, (g) responsiveness, (h) timeliness of change, (i) similar protections and policies for all or subnational soverignty?
How difficult should it be to amend a constitution, and how specific should this document be? To what extent should courts (through judicial review) be able to override other democratic institutions?
How many rights, civil or otherwise? How much equality? How much liberty? How much private ownership? How much regulation? How much of this should be fixed in a Constitution?
Presidents or parliaments: What’s better? Which centralizes power more and how separate should they be? Are checks and balances a good idea always? How many legislative houses?
Federalist vs. unitary systems? Is dividing national power best?

15. WHAT MAKES THE AIDS DEMOCRATIC? (& WHAT DOESN’T?)
How do the AIDS vary with respect to political parties and electoral systems?
Better to have one party, two parties, or many parties?
Should voters be directly selecting parties or individual representatives and top govt. leaders?
What are some of the big differences between the most common electoral systems: Single member districts (the US uses SMDs, aka plurality or first-past-the-post elections) Ranked voting (aka instant run-offs) Proportional representation (aka PR) Mixed systems (Using PR and SMD at the same time is the most common)
Pros/Cons of SMD? It builds consensus & increases accountability, but it leaves a lot of voters with no representation. And it frequently distorts the majority rules principle b/c of gerrymandering (e.g., US House 2012, US Senate 2014)
Pros and Cons of PR? The legislature more closely resembles actual voting and more parties get a say. A big question always is: what threshold for reps.
But extreme parties can have a lot of power
Coalitions, and not voters, may determine who governs

16. WHAT MAKES THE AIDS DEMOCRATIC? (& WHAT DOESN’T?)
Fixed terms or potentially early elections? How about votes of no confidence that require a chosen replacement. How about staggered elections? Is it better to be able to replace what seems to be a weak government? Why is it often easier to agree to bring down a government than it is to find a replacement?
Direct democracy or republicanism? What are the pros and cons of referenda, initiatives, and recall powers?

17. A Useful Cheatsheet…