Democracy and Social Equality

Democracy and Equality

Democracy, Equality, and Redistribution

Democratic citizens are not equal but only anonymous, indistinguishable by any traits they may possess. Democracy only places a veil over distinctions that exist in society. Even the one sense in which equality that can be said to characterize democracy –equality before the law –is derivative from anonymity: the law has to treat all citizens equally because they are indistinguishable. This norm...

Gender Equality and Democracy

Although democratic institutions existed long before gender equality, at this point in history, growing emphasis on gender equality is a central component of the process of democratization. Support for gender equality is not just a consequence of democratization. It is part of a broad cultural change that is transforming industrialized societies and bringing growing mass demands for increasingl...

Traditional Leadership, Democracy and Social Equality in Africa: the Role of Traditional Leadership in Emboldening Social Equality in South Africa

In the recent years in South Africa as elsewhere in Africa, the debate on the legitimate authority to foster democracy, community development and social equality has taken centre stage. Some scholars have argued that modern governments are the rightful authorities while others argue for traditional institutions such as traditional leadership. In this paper, we go beyond either party’s position ...

Abstract " Does Democracy Engender Equality? "

Does democracy engender equality?” John E. Roemer Dept of Political Science Yale University PO Box 208301 New Haven CT 06520 Many suppose that democracy is an ethos which includes, inter alia, a degree of economic equality among citizens. In contrast, we conceive of democracy as ruthless political competition between groups of citizens, organized into parties. We inquire whether such competitio...