The democratic values are the operating principles of the state and citizens that support society and democracy as a political system of government. These are necessary for societies governed under democratic models to be stable and successful at the political and social level.
Political democracy is a set of processes to form a government and to manage citizen policies. This set of processes is based on a series of values, the so-called democratic values, which make democracy a more attractive political model than other alternatives, such as dictatorship or authoritarianism.
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These values are not random and respond to the evolution of societies. That is why government entities rationally justify its use, since it is not a subjective matter. Its scope is so far reaching in the functioning of the social fabric that its institutionalization and application are debated at the public level.
List of democratic values
There are various democratic values, but not all are equally important. The two basic values associated with popular sovereignty that characterize modern democracies are: equality and freedom.
Equality
The democratic value of equality is what guarantees that all people living under the same State have the same value. This means that all citizens have the same rights and obligations, without distinction.
The principle of equality guarantees that the bodies that hold power do not favor or harm one person or another. In democratic systems, people's rights must be recognized regardless of their sex, religion, skin color or social class.
In this sense, we speak of equality before the law, which means that the application of the laws cannot be conditioned by the type of individual to which it is applied.
The rationalization of this value is expressed in article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which specifies that "everyone is equal before the law and has, without distinction, the right to equal protection before the law." In many countries this value is also reflected in their Constitutions.
However, in many countries equality does not exist at the practical level. The principle is reflected in international treaties and in national Constitutions, but it is a pure formalism.
Freedom
The value of freedom is fundamental to the functioning of any democratic model. This is because in democracies, power resides in the people and freedom is the component that allows people to govern themselves.
Most democracies are representative, and therefore, the people delegate government to a select few. However, people are not obliged to establish links that they do not consider valid, as well as they have the freedom to participate voluntarily in political decisions and government actions that affect them.
It is important to note that freedom is not limited. Since we live in a society, the freedom of an individual ends where that of her fellow citizen begins. Freedom is guaranteed as long as its exercise does not harm the common good.
On a practical level, this democratic value translates into freedom of thought, expression, association, assembly, demonstration, etc. Also in freedom of vote, which, in representative democracies, would be its highest expression.
Justice
Justice is the value that is responsible for ensuring the common good. In society, justice is expressed through laws and is personified in the figure of judges. When a norm is violated, the judges impart justice to try to correct the evil that is produced to the citizenship with said action.
The existence of legality and its institutionalization in laws and agencies responsible for enforcing them are fundamental for democracy. Without justice, the rights and freedoms of individuals in a society could not be guaranteed.
The concept of justice also applies to the distribution of goods in a society. In that case, we talk about social justice. Social justice is not always the same and varies depending on the political orientation of the groups in power.
When the group in power belongs to a socialist current, it is said that there is social justice when the most impoverished social classes are looked after. On the contrary, when the dominant social group belongs to a liberal current, the protection of private enterprise implies social justice.
Pluralism
Pluralism is a democratic value associated with equality. The acceptance of a plural society is the recognition that it is made up of a diversity of individuals and groups.
Pluralism is the acceptance that, although we are all equal before the State and the law, we do not all have the same beliefs, ideologies, points of view, etc.
Tolerance
Tolerance is an essential democratic value for societies governed by these models of government. Without tolerance the individuals of a plural society could not live together in a harmonious and respectful way.
Tolerance refers to the action of respecting the difference of the other. In this sense, in a plural society the differences between its individuals are not denied, but rather they are valued and respected.
There are several types of tolerance. On the one hand, there is social tolerance, which is one that accepts behaviors or opinions different from those shared by the majority. On the other hand, there is tolerance of worship, which refers to people who profess different beliefs and religions.
Respect
Respect is the value on which many of the other democratic values are based. Freedom, equality, justice and tolerance could not exist without respect. This value is what regulates that, in democratic societies, interpersonal relationships occur in a harmonious way.
Participation
Participation is the value on which the essence of democratic systems stands. Participation is what guarantees that people can exercise their right to vote, thus exercising their power of government.
References
- 1. Ethical and moral codes. In Virtual Encyclopedia. Consulted on June 29, 2018, from eumed.net.
- Democracy. On wikipedia. Consulted on June 30, 2018, from en.wikipedia.org.
- 35 examples of values. In Examples. Consulted on June 29, 2018, from examples.co.
- Tong-Keun Min. A Study on the Hierarchy of Values. Recovered from bu.edu.
- 7 fundamental values of democracy. In Meanings. Consulted on June 29, 2018, from meanings.com.