What is the meaning of Democracy ?

most democratic governments have chosen to design their institutions in different ways.

American democracy it is important to compare it to the alternatives out there.

The point is not to make any sweeping generalizations about whether the United States is better or worse than its democratic counterparts around the world,

but to help you better understand the consequences of the way our government institutions have been designed. The point is also not to make you an expert

about other countries, but to provide just enough foreign examples for you to make more informed judgments

The question we ask is how can someone make sound judgments about American democracy if they have no knowledge of the alternatives?

The comparative method should help you answer questions that, in social science parlance, are both positive ("What is the reality of things as they are?")

normative ("How should things be?"). We believe that studying the United States in a larger context will help you be more successful in thinking

critically about government than those who only study it in isolation.

Democracy is more than a set of specific government institutions; it encompasses values, attitudes, and practices which may take different forms among cultures and societies around the world

This activity examines the characteristics of American democracy