Decline of Democracy? Offer a test drive

In a January Economist article entitled "Democracy's Decline: Crying for Freedom" the author writes, "Given that democracy is unlikely to advance, these days, through the military or economic preponderance of the West, its best hope lies in winning a genuinely open debate. In other words, wavering countries, and skeptical societies, must be convinced that political freedom works best."

The author is right in this description of the problem. In a world of American blunders and rising interest in the Chinese and Russian systems, democracy is no longer seen as the only option. In a world where countries can be world powers without empowering their citizens, it is not so clear that we have reached the end of history. So in this new buffet of political systems, how does democracy best prove itself? The Economist asserts that the strongest argument for democracy is pointing out the the negatives of a non-democratic system. "Democracy may not yield perfect policies, but it ought to guard against all manners of ills, ranging from outright tyranny to larceny at the public expense.

I respectfully disagree. I think it is a poor argument of a protagonist to simply point out the weaknesses of the antagonist. This is especially true of societies in which all too often, people criticize the status quo without providing productive alternatives. The better argument is to take the car salesmen approach: allowing individual citizens to "test drive" democracy.

Just like any good salesman, advocates of democracy must give citizens of non-democratic societies an opportunity to "test drive" the democratic system. But I am not talking about voting in elections, which can all to often be easily corrupted. I am also not talking about participating in protests, which can often be brutally received by regimes, forcing some cynics to link democracy with bloodshed. What I am talking about is providing an opportunity for a citizen to identify a problem in their community, mobilize, advocate, and bring about positive results. This is the essence of democracy--citizens taking their fates, and the welfare of their community, into their own hands.

Yet, grassroots advocacy's humble nature causes it to be overlooked by international donors, who are distracted by its more glamorous yet all the more fallible sister, elections. Elections are obviously essential to democracies, but they demand a much more refined state of political development in order to be effective. They require strong institutions of the executive and legislative branches, an independent judiciary, clearly stated laws guarding the electoral process, outlining punitive measures for violations, developed political parties, and a plethora of other realities which must be in place in order for the election to actually produce a grain of democratic progress. If these mechanisms aren't in place, an illegitimate and fraudulent election will only produce feelings of disaffection and disillusionment in the populace. And in the fight to sell democracy, a premature election will be a major setback.

Grassroots Advocacy, on the other hand, requires fewer institutions, and brings much larger results in the fight to sell democracy. Operating on the mantra of "start in your backyard" citizen based advocacy can attract individuals who otherwise wouldn't involve themselves in the fray of politics, which in many developing countries, is a synonym for corruption, immorality, and avarice.

I am proud to say that I work for an organization that recognizes the value of this approach. In Jordan, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) worked with three grassroots advocacy organizations to identify problems in their community and launch successful advocacy campaigns. By providing training on identifying citizen priorities, mobilizing supporters, working with decision-makers, and other advocacy campaign skills, NDI provided citizens of Karak, Irbid and the Jordan Valley with the skills necessary to empower themselves and make a difference in their community. This "test drive" taught these citizens more about the power of democracy than voting in Jordan's quasi-legitimate elections ever could. In the town of Karak, for instance, citizens identified the issue of air pollution from a poultry farm as a community concern, worked to mobilize citizens, developed petitions, meet with decision makers, and ultimately brought about the installment of filters in the factory, achieving its advocacy goal of bringing cleaner air to the community. The proof is in the pudding, and the best way to convince a disenchanted populace of the fruits of democracy is to put them in the drivers seat. Through citizens-based advocacy, individuals can actually enjoy the merits of democracy. After all, it is the test drive that will sell the car--not merely the commercials on tv.