Substantive Democracy. (UPSC CSE Mains 2018 - Political Science and International Relations, Paper 1)
- Successful democracy is a holistic idea; it encompasses both procedural aspects – political equality, effective institutions, free and fair elections, legislative assemblies and constitutional governments, and good voter turn outs; and substantive aspects – socio-economic equality of citizens, tolerance for different opinions, ruler accountability, respect for the rules, and a strong political engagement.
- Both aspects are complementary and dependent. They reinforce one another and also interfere with one another. Socio-economic inequality will interfere with the achievement of political equality. Thus, successful functioning of procedural aspects of democracy requires some aspects of substantive – tolerance, equality etc.
- In the same way, it is precisely the successful implementation of the procedural aspects (particularly the principle of one man one vote) which has the potential to, and indeed in many cases has, led to the achievements in the substantive front, especially by breaking down (even though in a very limited way) rigid hierarchical caste structure and thereby achieving (partial) equality.
- So far it has been largely agreed that procedural democracy in India functions quite well. Elections are held regularly and India has never faced a military coup. The three constitutionally mandated institutions, the Supreme and the high courts, the President and the Election Commission are autonomous. Several examples in the past have proved this.
- However Substantive democracy continues to elude the country as development promises are seldom met. India’s rank on the Global Hunger Index is dismal. Public health is in shambles. Farmers are marching relentlessly with no redressal and are being met with violent crackdowns in some states.
- The failure to deliver goods is because of the basic problem with the political style that underplays the importance of institutions and structures. Instead, it tries to win the masses by evoking symbols and encouraging blind trust in leaders. The opposition too sometimes loses focus of the larger developmental issues, focusing its energies just on displacing the party in power. Political scientist Rajni Kothari discusses ‘a crisis of institutions’ that has resulted both in terms of morale and effectiveness by overemphasis on leaders. Tendency to treat power for personal aggrandisement and state as means of patronage and profit threatens the basic pillars of procedural democracy – Parliament, the bureaucracy and law and order machinery, the party system and the judiciary. Lastly ‘a crisis of values’ is the consequence of failure on the part of the people running the system to respect the norms of behaviour and the rules of the game. Fairness and equality guaranteed by the constitution has still not affected change in the mindsets, especially when it comes to religion, caste, or gender.
- While elements of substantive democracy still leave a lot to be desired, it is worrying that even procedural aspects of democracy are weakening.
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