Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy.
Democracy cannot function ...
Without a well-functioning institutionalized party system, Peruvian democracy will remain trapped in instability and scandals. Self-serving politicians who regularly switch parties will continue to undermine the trust Peruvians place in democratic institutions. The lessons from the crisis in Peru could not be more important for many other Latin American democracies where party systems are also weak and where many in civil society favor the emergence of independents as an alternative to discredited politicians from established parties. The power vacuum crisis will turn into a permanent condition as the political elite seems incapable of finding a way out that can be sustainable over time. Not having a president is an unquestionably big problem for a country. But lacking a well-functioning party system is a much bigger problem in the long run.
Why is it that curriculum isn't up to parents? Because schools aren't for their benefit. They are for the collective benefit. The benefit of our society, not the individual. The purpose of public education is to ensure the citizens, the voters, have the ability to look critically at facts and tell fact from fiction, fact from opinion. So voters can make smart decisions based on facts and then become smart officials and officeholders who make decisions based on what's best for the country and its people. So we can continue to have a real representative democracy.
"That democracy cannot long exist without enlightenment; That it cannot function without wise and honest officials; That talent and virtue, needed in a free society, should be educated regardless of wealth, birth or other accidental condition; That other children of the poor must thus be educated at common expense."
A thriving, healthy democracy requires an electorate that can look critically at information, see the world and problems we face logically, and decide which actions are best for the good of our nation, not for individual comfort or personal pocketbooks. This is the spirit in which curriculum should be created and lessons planned.
This site is brought to you by the Center for Civic Education. The Center's mission is to promote an enlightened and responsible citizenry committed to democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of democracy. The Center has reached more than 30 million students and their teachers since 1965. Learn more.
One of my major assignments with IBJ was to research and write a paper on the connection between democracy and the rule of law. The purpose was to demonstrate that democracy could not exist without the rule of law, and that only caring about the rule of law during elections is simply not enough to sustain democracy. I am hopeful that some of my language will be useful for IBJ grant applications in the future.
The original constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh envisages a complete independent judiciary. The constitutional Court of Bangladesh has got full authority of judicial review of the administrative actions to safeguard life, liberty and property of citizens. Judicial Review limits the freedom of government. It is customary under a written constitution that Judges should be called upon to perform a higher and solemn responsibility to interpret the constitution. This duty reposed on us by the constitution cannot be avoided as has been aptly put by Chief Justice Marshall of the United States of the Supreme Court -
"The judiciary cannot, as the legislature may, avoid a measure because it approaches the confines of the constitution. We cannot pass it by because it is doubtful. With whatever doubts, with whatever difficulties a case may be attended, we must decide it, if it be brought before us; we have no more right to decline the exercise of jurisdiction which is given, than to usurp that which is not given. The one or the other would be a treason to the constitution."
Democracy cannot work successfully without the establishment of Rule of Law. And there can be no Rule of Law without an independent judiciary. Without Rule of Law, democracy is meaningless. Our Constitution envisages a parliamentary system of Government.
My colleagues and myself are fully conscious of the great responsibilities that lie on our shoulders. Judges are also accountable, not only to their personal conscience, but also to the constitution and ultimately to the people who are the makers of the constitution. I would like to point out in unequivocal terms that the wind outside is not very congenial to the growth and flourishing of democracy. Let us build judiciary on a stable foundation so that we can withstand the winds of time and build a strong, viable and effective institution in the country. Judges must shun politics, but it is their duty as well to see to it that the fundamental human rights of the citizens are not violated.
A free press is a vital component of our democracy and holds our government accountable to the people. Now more than ever, we're fighting to protect media independence and the integrity of both professional and citizen journalism in the United States.
Who are your Commissioners? The Commission is comprised of 27 leaders from diverse backgrounds and viewpoints, committed to understanding both the causes and consequences of the growing distrust in democracy institutions.
Is the Commission non-partisan? Absolutely. The Commission is comprised of a diverse group of Commissioners who agree that trust is paramount to a flourishing democracy. It includes commissioners from both major political parties and people without affiliation.
Around the world, faith in democracy is falling. Russia, Turkey, and Venezuela have moved from flawed democracies to authoritarian regimes. Brexit and the rise of far-right parties show that even stable Western democracies are struggling. Partisanship and mutual distrust are increasing. What, if anything, should we do about these problems? In this accessible work, leading philosophers Jason Brennan and Hélène Landemore debate whether the solution lies in having less democracy or more.
It therefore is critical that each of us works to support a democracy that is built on a foundation of truth and reality, not one that willingly takes refuge in the active distortion thereof. Toward that end, and regardless of our political orientations, we must elect politicians and appoint decision makers who seek credible scientific counsel, who speak strongly in support of scientific consensus, and who support scientific research and education. In the year 2018, our democracy cannot function without such leaders, let alone without truth and reality.
The short answer is all of us. Our democracy is debased when the vote is not accessible for all. But the fact is that some groups are disproportionately affected by voter suppression tactics, including people of color, young people, the elderly, and people with disabilities. The proof is in the numbers.
Our first priority was to articulate the beliefs that underlie our work, and clearly assert those core democratic principles for which we stand. Working with our advisors and a diverse group of scholars, we created a healthy democracy framework to help explicate the values that motivate our efforts. The framework will serve as a compass, inform decision-making, and provide clarity about the principled positions underlying our actions for ourselves and others.
Core to our understanding of a healthy democracy is the notion that constitutional checks and balances protect against abuses of power and preserve the rule of law. Over the past year, Democracy Fund has worked to reinvigorate government accountability in a challenging environment in which government leaders have openly flouted ethics rules and challenged the independence of everything from the courts to the Justice Department.
To stop the abuse of political power, our grantees are cutting deep into the weeds of government. But we are confronted by threats that go deeper still, undermining the most basic feature of our democracy: free and fair elections.
We live at a time when the principles articulated in our healthy democracy framework are threatened by uniquely dangerous circumstances. At Democracy Fund, we firmly believe these threats demand a full-throated response.
Even as we respond to the current crises, we know the conditions that gave rise to this moment will still be with us for the foreseeable future. So we all need to commit to the long-term health of our democracy. Beyond the work outlined in this letter, Democracy Fund continues its work to reduce polarization, modernize elections, diversify newsrooms, and perform other essential tasks to strengthen our political system. Our hope is that peer funders will also join us on these longer-term projects.
Owing to the resonance effect, a large-scale change of opinion in society can be only produced slowly and gradually. The effects occur with a time lag, but, also, they cannot be easily undone. It is possible, for example, that resentment against minorities or migrants get out of control; too much national sentiment can cause discrimination, extremism and conflict.
The insights of the great enlightener Immanuel Kant seem to be highly relevant here. Among other things, he noted that a state that attempts to determine the happiness of its citizens is a despot. However, the right of individual self-development can only be exercised by those who have control over their lives, which presupposes informational self-determination. This is about nothing less than our most important constitutional rights. A democracy cannot work well unless those rights are respected. If they are constrained, this undermines our constitution, our society and the state. 2ff7e9595c
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