The Invisible Power of Liberal Democracy and Its Paradoxes
Abstract
Liberal democracy ought to be a polycracy that safeguards the civil liberty of the people from
states’ mastery. In a free democratic, judgements of the majority imparts on predominant regions
of states’ assertive theme to the restrictions that the state's policies and decisions do not violate
freedoms and rights as set out in the constitution. As a result of the antagonism, to many theorists
and policy makers it appeared that liberal democracy as stipulated above is the best form of
governance. Theoreticians supported their positions in various ways. It is the presumption in this
study that it is indeed the best socio-political regime. Many developing countries including
Kenya opted for this socio-political regime however, it is not clear whether the essentials of the
regime have been established together with its paradoxes. There is moreover a challenge that the
paradoxes pose.
The research is library based and has greatly relied on texts, books and scholarly articles. In the
research we found out that paradoxes arises out of conditions that key antiauthoritarian pledges
are accomplished nonetheless, jeopardized by self-internal contradictions or by other social and
economic proclivities. Democracy as a political order has a number of its principles such as
liberty that are paradoxical.
In chapter one, the study centers on chronicles of liberal democracy within Kenya and particular
constitutional and institutional changes that have been done.
Chapter two of the research focuses on how some underlying democratic principles turn out to be
paradoxical. These paradoxes impact negatively on the quality of a democracy in any given state.
The research therefore acknowledges the insufficiency that lie within the democratic principles.
In chapter three, the focus is on three social factors of class, ethnicity and patronage and how
they are potential threats to the functionality of a true democracy without incorporation of the
human positive factors.
Chapter four outlines the human positive factors and how they impact on the human
development which then plays out at establishing the quality of a democracy in a country. This is
because, the research found out that for the success of a democracy, organizational and
institutional changes alone are not sufficient. Organizations and institutions comprises human
and material resources. The human resources of an agency is responsible for the transforming or
conversion of the material resources of an institution in complete or fusible outputs and it is the
human resources that can see the failure of an institution role so that it is not about the resources
available but the moral ability that uttermost defines the human character.
The research therefore recommends that a "true democracy” demands a modicum model of
existing, that in return demands a modicum degree of growth. This development that is required
is not only economic and social but human development as well.
Human development and growth forms the basic foundation on which all the four principles
rests. So that without proper human development, then the basic principles could not be essential
because it will be impossible to achieve any democratic state.
Publisher
University of Nairobi
Subject
Liberal DemocracyRights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
- Faculty of Arts [710]
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