Democracy: Contested concept with a common core

Abstract

In this chapter, I first lay out some predominant conceptions of democracy. Although the number of particular meanings associated with the concept of democracy is legion, the literature on the subject suggests the existence of seven main traditions, i.e., electoral democracy, liberal democracy, egalitarian democracy, participatory democracy, deliberative democracy, majoritarian democracy, and consensual democracy. In the second part, I briefly present two different approaches to systematize the relationship between some of these ideal typical constructions. The first attempts to separate as much as possible the defining aspects, which go beyond the electoral core. The second suggests a cumulative ordering of these features, moving from a relatively undisputed core (a thin conception) to more and more comprehensive definitions (thicker conceptions) by the stepwise addition of - increasingly disputed - features.