Formal democracy
Encyclopedia
Formal democracy is a state
system that has in place superficial forms of democracy
but is not actually managed democratically. The former Soviet Union
has been retroactively characterized in this fashion since its constitution was essentially democratic, while the state was managed by the bureaucratic
élite
known as the Politburo
. But the concept was originally introduced in the 1988 book Manufacturing Consent
by Edward S. Herman
and Noam Chomsky
to describe one effect of USA foreign policy and Nation building techniques which created market client states for neo-liberal capitalism
.
States identified by Herman & Chomsky as formal democracies include pre-revolutionary Iran
, Nicaragua
under Somoza
and the Philippines
under Marcos
. The United States, especially from 1980 on under Ronald W. Reagan, is also said to fit the description, as all levers of government were effectively controlled and often directly staffed by members of the plutocracy. The visible manifestations of this mode of government seemed to have peaked during the administration of George W. Bush, who went so far as to seek to undermine the US Constitution itself, but government by manipulated consent is a problem afflicting the entire US political system, regardless of party affiliation, and is likely to continue until extensive radical reforms are implemented to overhaul or bypass the business-controlled mass communications system, inaugurate proportional representation, root out corporate lobbying and overwhelming corporate influence on all sectors of national policy, and embrace other measures designed to make the satisfaction of the well-informed ordinary citizen's interest the chief object of political activity. In the acquisition of this ambitious goal, the corporate media remain a significant hurdle. In terms of actual policy objectives and most notably key personnel, the new administration of Pres. Barack Obama, despite a campaign anchored in the promise of serious "change", does not seem to have deviated much, except in cosmetic aspects, from its predecessors.
State (polity)
A state is an organized political community, living under a government. States may be sovereign and may enjoy a monopoly on the legal initiation of force and are not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state. Many states are federated states which participate in a federal union...
system that has in place superficial forms of democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
but is not actually managed democratically. The former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
has been retroactively characterized in this fashion since its constitution was essentially democratic, while the state was managed by the bureaucratic
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
élite
Elite
Elite refers to an exceptional or privileged group that wields considerable power within its sphere of influence...
known as the Politburo
Politburo
Politburo , literally "Political Bureau [of the Central Committee]," is the executive committee for a number of communist political parties.-Marxist-Leninist states:...
. But the concept was originally introduced in the 1988 book Manufacturing Consent
Manufacturing Consent
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media , by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky, is an analysis of the news media as business...
by Edward S. Herman
Edward S. Herman
Edward S. Herman is an American economist and media analyst with a specialty in corporate and regulatory issues as well as political economy and the media. He is Professor Emeritus of Finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He also teaches at Annenberg School for...
and Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
to describe one effect of USA foreign policy and Nation building techniques which created market client states for neo-liberal capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
.
States identified by Herman & Chomsky as formal democracies include pre-revolutionary Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
under Somoza
Anastasio Somoza García
Anastasio Somoza García was officially the President of Nicaragua from 1 January 1937 to 1 May 1947 and from 21 May 1950 to 29 September 1956, but ruled effectively as dictator from 1936 until his assassination.-Biography:Somoza was born in San Marcos, Carazo Department in Nicaragua, the son of...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
under Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
. The United States, especially from 1980 on under Ronald W. Reagan, is also said to fit the description, as all levers of government were effectively controlled and often directly staffed by members of the plutocracy. The visible manifestations of this mode of government seemed to have peaked during the administration of George W. Bush, who went so far as to seek to undermine the US Constitution itself, but government by manipulated consent is a problem afflicting the entire US political system, regardless of party affiliation, and is likely to continue until extensive radical reforms are implemented to overhaul or bypass the business-controlled mass communications system, inaugurate proportional representation, root out corporate lobbying and overwhelming corporate influence on all sectors of national policy, and embrace other measures designed to make the satisfaction of the well-informed ordinary citizen's interest the chief object of political activity. In the acquisition of this ambitious goal, the corporate media remain a significant hurdle. In terms of actual policy objectives and most notably key personnel, the new administration of Pres. Barack Obama, despite a campaign anchored in the promise of serious "change", does not seem to have deviated much, except in cosmetic aspects, from its predecessors.