and powerful people in making governmental decision?
III. Short Answer Questions
1. What is meant by the term 'challenges to democracy'?
2. What are the 'political reforms' or 'democratic reforms'?
3. Mention four duties of an active and participatory citizen.
4. What is the challenge of expansion?
IV. Long Answer Questions
1. Explain which four guidelines should be kept in mind while devi
political reforms in India.
2. Describe the role of citizens in a democracy.
3. Explain four ways to reform democracy in India.
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Answers
Answer:
short answer questions
1.“Most of the democracies of the world face the challenge of expansion and challenge of deepening of democracy.” Justify the statement.
2.Political Reforms in Democracy
All the suggestions or proposals about overcoming various challenges to democracy are called democracy reform or political reform. Reforming politics by making new laws. Carefully devised changes in law can help to discourage wrong political practices and encourage good
ones.
3.voting in local, state, and national elections
participating in a political discussion
trying to persuade someone to vote a certain way
signing a petition
wearing a button or putting a sticker on the car
4.Less decisions should remain outside the demoncrative control
Long answer questions
1.But legal constitutional changes by themselves cannot overcome challenges to democracy.
*Democratic reforms are to be carried out mainly by political activists, parties, movements and politically conscious citizens.
*Any legal changes must carefully look at what results it will have on politics. Sometimes, the result may be counter productive.
For example; many states have banned people who have more than two children from contesting panchayat elections.
*This has resulted in denial of democratic opportunity to many poor and women which was not intended.
*The best laws are those which empower people to carry out democratic reforms.
*The Right to Information Act, 2005 is a good example of law that empowers the people
to find out what is happening in government and act as watchdog of democracy.
2.Participate in the democratic process. Respect and obey federal, state, and local laws. Respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others. Participate in your local community.
3.(i) Carefully devised changes in law can help to discourage wrong political practices and encourage good ones. At the same time, legal-constitutional changes by themselves cannot overcome challenges to democracy. They are to be carried out mainly by political activities, parties movements and politically conscious citizens.
(ii) Legal changes can sometimes be counter-productive. Generally, laws that seek to ban something are not very successful. Rather laws that give political actors incentives to do good things have more chances of working. For, example, the ‘Right to Information Act’ empowers people to act as watchdogs of democracy.
(iii) The main focus of political reforms should be on ways to strengthen democratic practice. The most important concern should be to increase and improve the quality of political participation by ordinary citizens.
(iv) Any proposal for political reforms should think not only about what is a good solution but also about who will implement it and how measures that rely or democractic movements, citizens’ organisations and the media are likely to succeed.