WHICH IS THE MOST DEMOCRATIC EUROPEAN COUNTRY?

Which is the Most Democratic European Country?



Which is the Most Democratic European Country?

Democracy is about the equal value and rights of all people. In a democracy everyone has the opportunity to exercise political influence. This paper will compare two of the European most democratic countries i:e Sweden and Netherlands. Sweden is the world's most democratic state while Italy, a member of the Group of Seven industrialized nations, ranks as a ``flawed'' democracy and fails to make the top category of countries, the Economist said.

Countries are split into four regime types determined by their democratic credentials, according to a list published in the Economist's ``The World In 2007'' report. The classifications are: full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes and authoritarian regimes. The U.S., at 17th, and the U.K., at 23rd, ranked in the bottom half of the full democracies.

``A decline in civil liberties and malfunctioning of government accounts for the U.S. position,'' the Economist said in an e-mail late yesterday, citing an erosion of freedom associated with the campaign against terrorism. ``In the U.K., a shocking decline in political participation, alongside some erosion of civil liberties, is the main reason for the comparatively modest ranking.'' (Riker, 2009, 212-269)

The Economist Intelligence Unit awarded 167 countries and territories marks from 1 to 10 for 60 indicators across five broad categories: electoral process, functioning of government, political participation, political culture and civil liberties.

The top level, full democracies, comprises 28 countries and is dominated by members of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Sweden beats Iceland and the Netherlands for first place, while France is ranked lower than the U.K., at 24th. Italy, at 34th, doesn't make the top level, falling among the ``flawed democracies.'' (Riker, 2009, 212-269)

Democracy in Sweden

 The rights and freedoms enjoyed by Sweden's citizens are set out in the written Constitution. The Constitution states that all public power proceeds from the people and that the Riksdag is the foremost representative of the people. As such, the Riksdag is a crucial component of Swedish democracy The 349 members of the Riksdag are chosen by the citizens every four years in general elections. The task of these members is to represent the Swedish people and to ensure that it is the people's will that is expressed in decisions taken by the Riksdag. (Tannsjo, 2009)

The Riksdag takes decisions that affect the whole of society. In its everyday tasks it interacts closely with a number of other public actors including the Government, public agencies, municipalities, county councils and the EU.  The work of the Riksdag is, of course, influenced by its history. Universal franchise, the transition to a unicameral (single chamber) system and four-year electoral periods are examples of important developments in the history of the Riksdag. Democracy is described here primarily from the perspective of the voters and their elected representatives. But the democratically elected assemblies at the national, regional and local levels are not the only holders of power and influence in a country. The market influences the country's ...