Democratization: Political Corruption

Keywords:

*Civil Society *Democracy

*Democratization *Political corruption

*People’s power *Globalization

Introduction

Between the years 1974 and 1990, more than 30 countries in Latin America, Southern and Eastern Europe, and East Asia made the transition from authoritarian to democratic regimes. Huntington (1991) divides this process of global democratic expansion into waves and, according to him, this current phase of democratization process is called the third wave. The first wave of democratization began in the 1820’s with the widening male suffrage in the United States, and continued until 1926, giving rise to some 29 democracies. Nevertheless, in 1922, the first “reverse wave” came with Mussolini’s rise to power in Italy,

The idea that civil society can contribute to the development of democracy was presented by twentieth-century political scientists, Almond and Verba (1963), who argued that voluntary associations were the most important mediating element between individuals and the state. These voluntary associations facilitates better consciousness and informed citizenry, who make better voting decisions, participate in politics, and make the government more responsible as a result. Besides having an important impact on the cultivation of better citizens, civil society presents itself as a control of political authority. Associative interest groups continuously monitor state activities and, as a result, hold leaders of authority accountable through popular scrutiny. In addition, the existence of dense networks of associative interest groups stimulates political participation by providing multiple channels for citizens to express opinions, attitudes, and articulate the interests of citizens. This gives people a reason to get involved

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