Democracy

At the beginning of 21st century most societies of the world have some kind of democratic state which is formed through adult franchise. There are differences in the definition of adult, the manner in which leaders are elected, whether the country has one-tier, two-tier or three-tier system, vision and mission of state planning, governance, transparency, degree of consensus regarding legitimacy of government etc. but some idea of democracy is there in all the countries and state is supposed to work towards the welfare of its people.

Democracy is considered to be the ideal form of state today. It is an ideal to be achieved in both public sphere as well as private sphere. Democracy means rule of law. Some recent writings on democracy explore the processes of democratization between public authority (state) and private sphere. Democratization is marked by common status, common concerns and inclusion. It is maintained that for general welfare we not only need a welfare state but a public domain of common opinion which leads to transformation at all levels. However, this lecture focuses on the state and its limits. The ideas of public space will be explored in other lectures. This lecture is particularly concerned with the contribution and limits of state action towards ensuring human happiness and just order.