Analysis of High Turnover Rate :: essays research papers

Examination of High Turnover Rate Presentation High turnover pace of minorities and female workers has become a significant issue in the United States. Despite the fact that numerous ethnic races structure this nation, male Anglo-Saxons rule most of the workforce. It isn't remarkable for minority and female representatives to leave their organization after just laboring for a couple of years. Why has this conduct become a pattern? So as to stop this pattern, organizations must ask themselves a few inquiries. For instance, what are the issues causing the high turnover rate? What legitimate and moral issues are the organizations confronting? After these inquiries have been posed and prepared, arrangements must be executed to change the progression of the pattern. While executing answers for the high turnover rate, organizations must know and comprehend the law. The law is made and implemented by the legislature to forestall any segregation or inclinations between the organization and representatives. It likewise forestalls the solid, partnerships, from exploiting the powerless, workers. Keeping a high turnover rate, organizations will keep on losing cash until they choose to manage the issue. Through certain modifications and usage of the projects to bring down turnover rates, the organization can see a huge change in their expenses and what they may really spare. Organizations must comprehend the potential peril that high turnover rate may cause organization. By breaking down banks, one can get what and where the difficult untruths. Articulation of Problem Worker turnover costs are exorbitant to an organization. Turnover influences the primary concern as well as influences the company’s assurance. We are examining the issues inside our organization that are making our representatives become unsatisfied with their activity. At that point we are going to discover arrangements. And afterward do the quotes of the turnover costs and the turnover reserve funds after our answers are actualized. Without comprehend the negative effects of turnover, an organization might be putting itself in a place that will at last lead to their downfall. We will take care of our issues and set our organization on the way to progress, a triumph that isn't just reflected in our main concern yet additionally our employees’ resolve. History Examination Presently, the Bank of Tomenak workers 20,000 individuals, which just 35% are female or minority. The normal semiannual turnover rate for our females and minority representatives is 65%. The normal turnover cost for one worker is evaluated to be 18% of their yearly compensation.

Economic Growth Rate of Malaysia

Monetary Growth Rate of Malaysia After world downturn the paces of development were changed from a years ago equivalent to Malaysia (diagrams cry). Malaysia has been feeling the consequence of worldwide monetary decrease, chiefly in the last quarter of 2008. Fares and speculation had centered during the time that subsequently made genuine GDP development decelerate strongly to a negligible 0.1%.In the substance of expanding worldwide monetary complexities, the Government had revealed the subsequent Stimulus bundle of RM60 billion in March 2009 so as to keep the household economy from decreasing and fall into a profound downturn. More than 2009 and 2010, the bundle executed that likewise help work, private division speculation and utilization just as giving social wellbeing net. In November 2008, the Government had reported the primary upgrade bundle adding up to RM7.0 billion. The financial boost bundles are to praise expansionary money related approach to help bolster household spending and by and large monetary de velopment. The Government as of late changed descending the countrys GDP foresee for 2009 to between less 5.0% and less 4.0% from its prior projection of less 1.0% to 1.0%. The update was made after first quarter 2009 GDP shrank a more regrettable than anticipated 6.2%. This is the primary decay since second from last quarter of 2001 (- 0.4%). Entire the world was discovered an awful conditions in downturn and swelling, and this information exhibited the duties of Malaysia government for forestall its nation in against of expansion and its warmth on lifes quality. So, The Malaysian economy recorded a balance in 2008 influenced by the sharp crumbling in worldwide economy as the US sub-prime home loan issues developed into an all out worldwide monetary emergency. The disintegration in outside interest had unfavorably influenced the countrys fare and speculation execution, while hindering spending on utilization. As an open economy, Malaysia is encountering the more grounded effect of worldwide monetary emergency this year and the countrys genuine GDP could likewise slip into downturn in the wake of posting a moderate 4.6% development a year ago. Various financial and monetary strategy measures have likewise been reported by the Government to help bolster the economy. While the monetary boost includes high budgetary expense to the Government, and the financial deficiency will altogether extend, the expansionary arrangement reactions are important to help keep the economy from sliding into a more profound downturn. Be that as it may, the beneficial outcomes of these arrangement measures must be accomplished after their fast and compelling usage. Monetary development take places at whatever point individuals take assets and revamp them in manners that are progressively significant. A valuable allegory for creation in an economy originates from the kitchen. To make significant last items, we combine minimal effort fixings as indicated by a formula. The cooking one can do is constrained by the gracefully of fixings, and most cooking in the economy produces unwanted symptoms. In the event that financial development could be accomplished uniquely by accomplishing increasingly more of a similar sort of cooking, we would in the end come up short on crude materials and experience the ill effects of inadmissible degrees of contamination and aggravation. We gain from mankind's history that, in any case, financial development springs from better plans, not simply from additionally cooking. New plans as a rule produce less horrendous reactions and produce progressively monetary worth per unit of crude material. Each age has seen the cutoff points to development that constrained assets and unfortunate symptoms would present if no new plans or thoughts were found. In addition, each age has thought little of the potential for finding new plans and thoughts. We continually neglect to get a handle on what number of thoughts stay to be found. The trouble is a similar one we have with intensifying: potential outcomes don't simply include. In 1997, Malaysia experienced an unforgiving pass up the Southeast Asian monetary emergency, the conversion standard of Malaysian money ringgit against the U.S. dollar has diminished 46%, the composite record of financial exchange fell the greater part. In 1998, Malaysias economy first, began the negative development (- 7.5%) since most recent 13 years, after that joblessness and expansion rates expanded. In September 1998, Malaysian Government embraced the expansionary money related arrangement, at that point the presentation of specific capital and cash control computes came out. The significant substance focused on the guideline of transient remote venture, the Ringgit Malaysia against the U.S. dollar conversion scale will be fixed at the degree of 1:3.8, and afterward government declared the denial of seaward ringgit exchanges. From that point onward, Malaysia monetary circumstance was being balanced out, the securities exchange had likewise been steadily recouped, and a yearly f inancial normal development rate has stayed above 8% since that year. As of late, Malaysian saw the steady conversion scale of money, rebuilding of bank corporate obligation, extending request of residential and new fare arrangements, the economy of Malaysia has kept up a fast development. Government had focused on some significant usage to monetary shortage, for instance, the nullification of various expensive picture ventures, particularly concentrating on the development and other fundamental enterprises, for example, horticulture. Government suggests the devouring and contributing practices, so now the private areas are as the countrys new financial development columns. Simultaneously, government empowers the improvement of the travel industry, instruction and accomplishes financial broadening. To build the financial development rate, first, must limit the expenses and assimilate greater speculation. Presently we can see there are numerous nations are contending with one another, they battle since they need greater venture, yet this conduct may bring down the norm, just as diminishing the assortment of prerequisites. In this way, these are misfortunes to us. Malaysia can plan something for keep away from this circumstance. For instance, help Malaysian the travel industry to be revived. What's more, Malaysia government additionally wouldn't like to bring down the guidelines. Else, they should additionally keep up an exclusive expectations and own image. Malaysia government needs to have their very own portion strategies and measures, not simply to state that they decline all the suggestions from west, however indeed, they simply need to accomplish an equalization. We may feel that the west measures rely upon the straightforwardness and responsibility. Nonetheless, the realit y in Asian nations, this has been a shortcoming, they generally state that there would be numerous boost bundles, and the unnoticed part isn't completely used or the piece of measures we need from west for concentrating on the responsibility, which was referenced above, while reinforcing evaluating the norms. By along these lines, Malaysia government can support the individuals, not by various outside issues of the damage and effect, these things are as of now not mindful by them, and not, at this point their obligation. On the off chance that Malaysia endeavors to accomplish a quicker monetary development rate as indicated by the current worldwide circumstance, I think, contrast and the favorable circumstances acquired as of now, Malaysia residents will trouble more drawbacks once government settles on this choice. For instance, joblessness and monetary development are negative relationship, that is, financial development rate rises, joblessness rate decreases; in actuality, financial development rate decays, joblessness rate increases. Then again, expansion and financial development is connected so intently, it implies that the high monetary development rate has commonly been joined by a high pace of swelling. In the first place, the quick financial development, will additionally invigorate the development of speculation, yet in addition increment a significant interest in total, in this way adding to an expansion in costs which prompts the swelling; if Malaysia government bring down the speed exce ssively quick, in spite of the fact that the costs might be balanced out for some time, yet in addition will bring problemssupplies are diminished, and numerous organizations will be in cut-off, semi cut-off state, even a few specialists will lose their vocation security which likewise causes the social instability(this is as of now occurred on Malaysia send out ventures a couple of years prior). By the by, if the economy is becoming excessively quick, clearly surpassed the extent of assets, which will cause a genuine expansion. About the rising costs, particularly the sharp ascent in costs will influence the economy keeps on developing quickly. Since costs rise strongly is so hurtful, the state will receive starkness measures to check expansion. The withdrawal speed will lead a sharp declining in monetary development rate or in any event, continuing a moderate financial development rate. Along these lines, during the monetary rebuilding procedure of Malaysia, in spite of the fact that her economy runs its own unpredictability and vulnerability, the applicable divisions in government must actualize the undertakings, which are allocated by the residents to keep up the financial steadiness of Malaysia.

Can I Get Something

Can I Get Something As you leave a museum, youre often forced to exit through the gift shop. Its consumerisms last gasp. And, sadly, it works. Every time my daughter, Ella, bounds through the knickknacks, tchotchkes, and souvenirs, she begs to bring one home: Can I get something? Please! What do you want? I dont knowâ€"anything! Thats what consumerism does to everyone. We dont know what we want, but we know we want more, and we want it now! We dont even stop to think about itâ€"to question what might add value to our lives, to question what might get in the way. But if we dont question everything we bring into our lives, well allow anything in. The message of minimalism, then, is simple: If you didnt need it five minutes ago, you probably dont need it now. And even if you do, it wouldnt hurt to wait. If I tell Ella to ask me tomorrow whether she can buy that useless widget, she almost always forgets. Thats because we remember only that which is meaningful, and all the ephemera dissipates into the ether. Subscribe to The Minimalists via email.

Personal Statement Tour Guide - 1534 Words

It is mid-summer of 1968 and I was allowed to go back to Serbia to visit my friends and family who I have missed dearly since moving to America. Sadly my friendship to Elena has ended. I did not want it to end, but she decided to end it over a pointless reason. She ended our friendship due to the fact that I did not want here to come to Serbia with me to visit my friends and family, and for some reason she was upset about this. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that I have not seen them in a year, all I wanted was time to be with them by myself, and not to have to play â€Å"tour guide† with because she would want to sightsee and have me take her. Most of my time here has not been enjoyable due to me replaying are the last conversion in my head,†¦show more content†¦I’ve heard that it is beautiful, primary in the summer and what better way to explore a beautiful country than with your best friend? Now I am stuck in Rodina-Mat (Russia), where the ho t sun is most likely sunburning me badly. I know I seem clingy, but Brilla was the only real friend I have made in America and she knows that. I wish I could recant most of the things that I said to her, but I cannot change the past and I and do not want to be friends with someone that focuses on herself before someone else’s feelings. I do not want to be friends with someone as selfish as Brilla. My friends took me to the movies to try to cheer me up. They even took me to watch Ghosts-Italian Style that starred Sophia Loren, but it was no use, I was as sad as I was before I left Serbia. I went back to my old home where I could smell my mother making her famous Pljeskavica, a Serbian dish of different meats ground into a patty. It’s a Serbian national dish, but my mother makes so much differently than how it is usually made and somehow gives it sweet, tangy, taste to it. After I left Serbia, things have gotten better for my parents, such as my father got a promotion an d now runs a small part of the artillery factory that he works at. They were even able to purchase a television. Life has improved for them after I left, but they say that I still am not allowed to move back to Montenegro, because despite the new changes that have been made, Montenegro is still a dangerous place to

What Is Bulk Modulus Definition, Formulas, Examples

The bulk modulus is a constant the describes how resistant a substance is to compression. It is defined as the ratio between pressure increase and the resulting decrease in a materials volume. Together with Youngs modulus, the shear modulus, and Hookes law, the bulk modulus describes a materials response to stress or strain. Usually, bulk modulus is indicated by K or B in equations and tables. While it applies to uniform compression of any substance, it is most often used to describe the behavior of fluids. It can be used to predict compression, calculate density, and indirectly indicate the types of chemical bonding within a substance. The bulk modulus is considered a descriptor of elastic properties because a compressed material returns to its original volume once the pressure is released. The units for the bulk modulus are Pascals (Pa) or newtons per square meter (N/m2) in the metric system, or pounds per square inch (PSI) in the English system. Table of Fluid Bulk Modulus (K) Values There are bulk modulus values for solids (e.g., 160 GPa for steel; 443 GPa for diamond; 50 MPa for solid helium) and gases (e.g., 101 kPa for air at constant temperature), but the most common tables list values for liquids. Here are representative values, in both English and metric units: English Units(105 PSI) SI Units(109 Pa) Acetone 1.34 0.92 Benzene 1.5 1.05 Carbon Tetrachloride 1.91 1.32 Ethyl Alcohol 1.54 1.06 Gasoline 1.9 1.3 Glycerin 6.31 4.35 ISO 32 Mineral Oil 2.6 1.8 Kerosene 1.9 1.3 Mercury 41.4 28.5 Paraffin Oil 2.41 1.66 Petrol 1.55 - 2.16 1.07 - 1.49 Phosphate Ester 4.4 3 SAE 30 Oil 2.2 1.5 Seawater 3.39 2.34 Sulfuric Acid 4.3 3.0 Water 3.12 2.15 Water - Glycol 5 3.4 Water - Oil Emulsion 3.3 2.3 The K value varies, depending on the state of matter of a sample, and in some cases, on the temperature. In liquids, the amount of dissolved gas greatly impacts the value. A high value of K indicates a material resists compression, while a low value indicates volume appreciably  decreases under uniform pressure. The reciprocal of the bulk modulus is compressibility, so a substance with a low bulk modulus has high compressibility. Upon reviewing the table, you can see the liquid metal mercury is very nearly incompressible. This reflects the large atomic radius of mercury atoms compared with atoms in organic compounds and also the packing of the atoms. Because of hydrogen bonding, water also resists compression. Bulk Modulus Formulas The bulk modulus of a material may be measured by powder diffraction, using x-rays, neutrons, or electrons targeting a powdered or microcrystalline sample. It may be calculated using the formula: Bulk Modulus (K) Volumetric stress / Volumetric strain This is the same as saying it equals the change in pressure divided by the change in volume divided by initial volume: Bulk Modulus (K) (p1 - p0) / [(V1 - V0) / V0] Here,  p0 and V0 are the initial pressure and volume, respectively, and p1 and V1 are the pressure and volume measured upon compression. Bulk modulus elasticity may also be expressed in terms of pressure and density: K (p1 - p0) / [(Ï 1 - Ï 0) / Ï 0] Here, Ï 0 and Ï 1 are the initial and final density values. Example Calculation The bulk modulus may be used to calculate hydrostatic pressure and density of a liquid. For example, consider seawater in the deepest point of the ocean, the Mariana Trench. The base of the trench is 10994 m below sea level. The hydrostatic pressure in the Mariana Trench may be calculated as: p1 Ï *g*h Where p1 is the pressure, Ï  is the density of seawater at sea level, g is the acceleration of gravity, and h is the height (or depth) of the water column. p1 (1022 kg/m3)(9.81 m/s2)(10994 m) p1 110 x 106 Pa or 110 MPa Knowing the pressure at sea level is 105 Pa, the density of the water at the bottom of the trench may be calculated: Ï 1 [(p1 - p)Ï  K*Ï ) / K Ï 1 [[(110 x 106 Pa) - (1 x 105 Pa)](1022 kg/m3)] (2.34 x 109 Pa)(1022 kg/m3)/(2.34 x 109 Pa) Ï 1 1070 kg/m3 What can you see from this? Despite the immense pressure on water at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, it isnt compressed very much! Sources De Jong, Maarten; Chen, Wei (2015). Charting the complete elastic properties of inorganic crystalline compounds. Scientific Data. 2: 150009. doi:10.1038/sdata.2015.9Gilman, J.J. (1969).  Micromechanics of Flow in Solids. New York: McGraw-Hill.Kittel, Charles (2005). Introduction to Solid State Physics  (8th edition). ISBN 0-471-41526-X.Thomas, Courtney H. (2013). Mechanical Behavior of Materials (2nd edition). New Delhi: McGraw Hill Education (India). ISBN 1259027511.

Women Suffrage in the 1920’s Free Essays

The 1920’s was a huge struggle for women around the U. S. Huge rallies were formed and outrageous furry was spread city to city. We will write a custom essay sample on Women Suffrage in the 1920’s or any similar topic only for you Order Now All this drama and series of strikes was caused by the women that were eager to have the same rights as everyone else, without and racial or gender profiling against them. But late in that time period, that wasn’t the cause. After numerous protests and the creating of the women’s national party, little did they know but it would soon become a huge success for all women around the globe. The 19th amendment guaranteed women the right to vote, and it went into effect in 1920.It had begun settling rates at levels intended to ensure the industries profits full woman suffrage before 1920, eighth date granted partial woman suffrage before 1920. No woman suffrage until ratification of 19th amendment. Elizabeth caddy staton becomes president of the national women’s suffrage association. Women also began appearing on the political scene and in elected offices. Winifred mason huck of representatives in 1922 was the first. The woman suffrage movement got off to a slow start. Some people threatened women suffragrates, and sold they were unfeminine and immoral. Many if its supports were abolitionists as well.In the years before the civil war abolishing slavery took priority. Many job opportunities were available for women. One of them being the biggest company at the time. They worked as operators at telephone companies. It was a great and easy job and didn’t involve doing much. It was better than staying home completing the daily tasks taken place at what was called, â€Å"A women’s place†, in the 1920’s. Now it was not only at home but also in their workplace. Suffragists march in a 1912 rally in New York City. In 1920, after decades of struggle for the right to vote, the Nineteenth Amendment’s ratification granted female suffrage. How to cite Women Suffrage in the 1920’s, Papers

Maximizing Performance Maintaining Results -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Maximizing Performance Maintaining Results? Answer: Introducation The given task namely Key Concepts and Questions (KCQs) is very interesting task for me personally. It is because of the fact that from the beginning of my studies I want to become lecturer and have the aim to write different books for the readers. Now through this task, it is pretty much sure that the platform for taking up the starting step for my aim and the aspiration has been provided and very happily I am taking the same. On this platform, I am going to express my views and explanations for the understanding of the key concepts of the given topic and as a writer I am going to put forward some questions to myself as well as the readers in order to give the readers a deep insight of the budgeting for a short term. Management is an activity which integrates all the functions of the company and put all their efforts towards the single direction of achieving the objectives of the company. These functions predominantly include sales, purchase, human resource management, production, etc (Al, 2006; Atrill, Peter, Eddie, 2012) The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work Agha Hasan Abedi I really disagree with this definition. It is due to the basic fact that management is an art of getting the work done through others rather than developing people through work. The latter is very clearly and precisely has been defined as the training. Is it likely that the management and the training are the simultaneous work? While working in the firm, any employee understand and develop their skills and management is to bring all the efforts of all the employees towards one common goal and thus it is getting work done through others. In many motivational novels and movies, I have seen that the employees in the factory are working and managers give them the work and get the work done within the stipulated time. According to me management is technique through which the people obtains the experience and get the work from others. The first step really has importance in everyones field. If this first step is not taken, then the firm can never succeed in its function. For me, my first step was that when I have chosen the commerce side rather than the science side and have aimed to become the lecturer. Through this assignment, my first step is really the base. If I would not have chosen the commerce stream then I could not be able to appear this assignment and really my aim would be in the dark room where I will not be able to see myself. Therefore, as described by Martin giving the example of distance 2000 Km every year, the first step counts a lot in everyones life. In the case of the organization, budgets are regarded as the first step for success. Is it necessary to have the budgets? It is answered in four points namely encourages short term planning, helps in coordination, helps in cooperation and lastly helps in communicating the plans of the organization and delegating the tasks and motivating the employees. Then what task is done by the management? Is the management is just an art of getting work done through others A budget is just a method of worrying before you spend money as well as afterward Anon I truly agree with this. In my school days I have been receiving the pocket money from my parents around $5 per day. I daily plan how to make the best possible use of this $5 on daily basis. Usually, I used to buy burger and cold drink daily costing to me $2.5 and then while going back to the home I used to play and that costs me $1 and the balance I kept it with myself and when the need comes I spend the same or when the pocket money is not received by me someday. Similarly, budget gives you an alarm, as to how much shall be spent and how much shall be saved (Bradley, 2014). The next question that has come in my mind for me that $5 per day is too big that I was unable to remember without writing it down then how the firms prepares their project? Never base your budget requests on realistic assumptions, as this could lead to a decrease in your funding Scott Adams It is true statement. If the company prepares the budget on realistic assumptions then the fund that the company wants to obtain from the bank or any other financial institution will be less in amount. As in case of the Purple Chocolates, if the company would have positive cash flows for all the six months like: Particulars Jan Feb March April May June Total Cash Closing Balance (Assumed Figures) 525 25 90 160 225 320 320 Then the company would not be able to obtain the overdraft facility from the bank. Thus, the budgets shall never be prepared with actual and real assumptions when some fundings are required. The first step in case of the budget is the sale budget. Through this sale budget the other budgets like purchase budget, production budget and other related budgets are prepared. The accounting equation follows all over the budget (Ryan and Robert, 2013). It is: Opening Inventory + Production = Sales + Closing Inventory. The sales and production budgets shall be in consonance with each other. If the budgets are not found in consonance then either there will be the shortage of inventory at the business or else there will be unnecessary piling up of the inventory. (Kaplan, Norton, David, 2014). Its clearly a budget. Its got a lot of numbers in it. George W. Bush Is the budget shall be of numbers only? The above statement has clarified this question that was coming in my mind while reading the sale and purchase budgets. But the basic fact is that although the budgets are purely represented in numbers but the basis is non financial information like preferences of the customer, etc (Collis and Hussey, 2014). How many budgets are there? What is master budget and what does it includes? This question has been striking into my head and now it has been specified budgets can be of many numbers depending upon the nature of business and master budget is the budget which have the figures of all the budgets and consists of cash budget, budgeted income statement and budgeted balance sheet. As given in case of the Purple chocolates, first budget provides the net cash available, second provides the budgeted net profit and the last provides the budgeted figures of debtors, creditors, loan, and fixed assets (Drury, 2016). I am very questioning by nature and again the question has come how the performance will be measured? And it has been mentioned that performance will be measured not only against financial measures but also non financial measures like customer satisfaction, growth of the employee and improvement in the internal processes of the business (Niven and Paul, 2012). In my mind, the following has come and have drafted: BALANCE SCORE CARD S. No. Perspectives Observation 1 Financial Has net profit of $825 2 Internal Business Is weak as the cash collection procedure is not good. 3 Customer Customer are satisfied since the sales are high 4 Learning and Growth The employees have been trained and have achieved the learning curve This chapter is very interesting and has provided the reasons for creation of the budgets and its importance thereon and how the performance will be measured. The best thing that I liked is that the example that Martin has used throughout the chapter. All the pictures were in my mind in the manner that it has happened to me like that of Dixon Street, cliff or 2000 Kms and lastly Purple Chocolates and I am imagining the dairy milk chocolates in purple color with their own brand. Thus, budgets are very important and management helps in achieving the budgeted results. References Al Bento, (2006), Budgeting, Performance Evaluation, and Compensation: A Performance Management Model, inMarc J. Epstein,John Y. Lee(ed.)Advances in Management Accounting, Volume 15Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp.51 79 Atrill, Peter McLaney, Eddie, (2012), Management Accounting for Decision Makers, 7th Ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Bradley J, (2014), How Is a Budget a Communication Tool? available at https://smallbusiness.chron.com/budget-communication-tool-57477.html accessed on 21/01/2018 Collis and Hussey, (2014), Business Research: A Practical Guide for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students, Hongkong: Palgrave Macmillan. Drury C, (2016), Cost and Management Accounting, 6th Ed. London: Thomson Learning. Kaplan, Robert. S Norton, David. P, (2014), Strategy maps: converting marketing assets into tangible outcomes Massachusetts: Harvard Business School. Niven, Paul. R, (2012), Balance Scorecard Step by Step: Maximizing performance and maintaining results, New York: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Ryan and Robert. W, (2013), Research Method Methodology in Finance Accounting, 2nd Ed. London: Thomson Learning

Jonathan Kozol - The Children of Mott Haven free essay sample

An in-depth look at the lives of the children in Mott Haven, in the South Bronx as seen by Jonathon Kozol. In this paper the author begins by making a direct comparison to the American Hymn, Amazing Grace, and Jonathan Kozols profoundly disturbing profile of the lives of the children of Mott Haven, in the South Bronx. The author moves on to examine Kozols book in depth and his findings regarding the children of the South Bronx. He concludes by comparing the Children of Plenty with what he regards as the throwaways, the children who he considers have nothing and no future. From the paper: Like children everywhere, they vacillate between child-like innocence and alarmingly grown-up insights; but this is not the suburban version of growing up too fast; they have seen junkies shooting up in the hallways of their buildings, gang members bagging dope and loading guns on the fire escape. We will write a custom essay sample on Jonathan Kozol The Children of Mott Haven or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Death is accepted as the passage to a better place.

Free Essays on Appointment With Love

The short story, "Appointment with Love†, by S.I. Kishor, is a romantic story about a young lieutenant and lady who fall in love. The author shows that true love is possible between two people who have never met if they are able to trust their true inner feelings and instincts. The writer accomplishes this message to the reader through the use of the setting, tone and each individual character in the story. The setting in this story is established as it instantly grabs the attention of the reader. The author begins the story in the first sentence by describing the location of New York's Grand Central Station with a tall lieutenant waiting to meet a woman who he has communicated with for over a year. By drawing all attention to the lieutenant, the reader is immediately given a clear image of Lieutenant Blandford, standing anxiously waiting to meet the woman who he has never seen but claims to love. Throughout the story, the author brings the reader out of the station to places that the lieutenant has recalled thinking of this woman. The author uses these different settings to show how this woman has had the power to reach inside of him through writing and renew his strength even from a far. The author then redirects his attention back to the station, as the time to meet Hollis Meynell grows closer. Although the setting is used to describe the atmosphere, the tone is used effectively to c ommunicate the complete and compelling feeling and emotion to the reader. The author’s use of a suspenseful tone has the reader waiting anxiously from the first line to the end. The mood is instantly set on a time schedule as the author begins the story by saying, "Six minutes to six". By doing this, the author creates a feeling of excitement as the reader realizes something exciting is about to happen. He also creates a feeling of uncertainty for the lieutenant, which makes the tone even more dramatic. As the clock grows near a minute from six,... Free Essays on Appointment With Love Free Essays on Appointment With Love The short story, "Appointment with Love†, by S.I. Kishor, is a romantic story about a young lieutenant and lady who fall in love. The author shows that true love is possible between two people who have never met if they are able to trust their true inner feelings and instincts. The writer accomplishes this message to the reader through the use of the setting, tone and each individual character in the story. The setting in this story is established as it instantly grabs the attention of the reader. The author begins the story in the first sentence by describing the location of New York's Grand Central Station with a tall lieutenant waiting to meet a woman who he has communicated with for over a year. By drawing all attention to the lieutenant, the reader is immediately given a clear image of Lieutenant Blandford, standing anxiously waiting to meet the woman who he has never seen but claims to love. Throughout the story, the author brings the reader out of the station to places that the lieutenant has recalled thinking of this woman. The author uses these different settings to show how this woman has had the power to reach inside of him through writing and renew his strength even from a far. The author then redirects his attention back to the station, as the time to meet Hollis Meynell grows closer. Although the setting is used to describe the atmosphere, the tone is used effectively to c ommunicate the complete and compelling feeling and emotion to the reader. The author’s use of a suspenseful tone has the reader waiting anxiously from the first line to the end. The mood is instantly set on a time schedule as the author begins the story by saying, "Six minutes to six". By doing this, the author creates a feeling of excitement as the reader realizes something exciting is about to happen. He also creates a feeling of uncertainty for the lieutenant, which makes the tone even more dramatic. As the clock grows near a minute from six,...

Generation of electricity using Biomass in Nova scotia, Canada Term Paper

Generation of electricity using Biomass in Nova scotia, Canada - Term Paper Example People are deeply at odds over the proposal, for many support this idea when some others question the viability and sustainability of this project. Evidences suggest that today many countries are successfully generating electricity from biomass to resolve their electricity crises. Referring to the shortcomings of other major electricity generation techniques and the available resources of Nova Scotia, it can be argued that electricity generation from biomass will be a potential proposal for the region. This paper will discuss why Nova Scotia must generate electricity from biomass to meet its power needs and to make electricity cost affordable to its people. 2. Discussion 2:1. Potentiality of generating electricity from biomass â€Å"Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms† (Biomass Energy Centre). Biomass is a broader term that represents diverse fuels derived from agriculture and food wastes and timber. Sewage sludge and animal manure may also form biomass fuel whereas it is also derived from trees. Considering the regeneration capacity of trees, it seems that biomass fuels are renewable. In the context of rapidly deteriorating non-renewable energy resources, the biomass fuels have a vital role to play in the electricity generation. ... Currently, lumber or other wood wastes are burnt in most biomass power plants. According to Augustine and Bockenhauer, in direct combustion power plants, biomass fuel is burnt direct in boilers which in turn provide steam for steam-electric generators. Under the biomass gasification process, biomass is initially converted into methane which is capable of fuelling steam generators, fuel cells, and combustion turbines. The major benefit of biomass gasification over direct combustion is that â€Å"extracted gasses can be used in a variety of power plant configurations† (Power Scorecard). The major argument against biomass fuelled power plants is that they cause air emissions. Although this argument is valid and has many environmental reasons to justify, it is not sufficient to abandon the concept of biomass fuelled electricity. Air emissions can be reduced by carefully choosing fuel and technology. There is a common perception that electricity generated using renewable technologi es is more expensive than the electricity generated from fossil fuels. Although it may be true in the case of wind energy and solar energy, electricity generation using biomass is cost-effective. In addition, this technique is considered to be greenhouse neutral. This feature is really advantageous in the context of current global warming and climate change issues. According to the findings of US Energy Information Administration, biomass fuelled power plants assist the agriculture industry to solve waste disposal problems. In terms of availability, biomass is better than other renewable technologies such as solar energy. Since biomass is easy to convert into high energy portable fuel forms like gas or alcohol, electricity can be easily generated from biomass without the application of

WHICH METHOD (MRI OR DIAGNOSTIC MAMMOGRAPHY) IS MORE SENSITIVE AT Essay - 1

WHICH METHOD (MRI OR DIAGNOSTIC MAMMOGRAPHY) IS MORE SENSITIVE AT DECTECTING BREAST CANCER IN WOMEN UNDER THE AGE OF 50 - RESEARCH PROPOSAL - Essay Example Medical experts impute the decline in breast cancer deaths to earlier detection and more efficient treatments. Breast cancer is dangerous because of its early latent character and long asymptomatic stage. Treatment can be much more effective if detected in the early stages. The benefits of early detection are capable of offsetting the anticipated risks and costs involved. This research project is therefore proposed to examine the relative sensitivity and cost effectiveness of two methods of detecting breast cancer. The methods examined are Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Digital Mammography. The study is confined to women under the age of fifty due to the particular issues faced by patients in this age group. Breast cancer is a common form of cancer, accounting for a high rate of mortality among women, next only to lung cancer (Taft & Taylor, 2001). The incidence of breast cancer is on the rise all over the world, posing a significant risk for women. One out of eight women in the developing world is estimated to develop breast cancer at some stage of their lives. Among the various factors identified as responsible for the incidence of breast cancer, genetics, environmental and lifestyle risk factors are considered significant ones (Nkondjock, & Ghadirian, 2005). Mortality caused by breast cancer is especially high among women between the ages of forty and forty-nine. Even apart from the mortality rates, the emotional and psychological impact of the condition is severe. Fear of the disease and the nature of treatment to be undertaken add to the negative impact (Breast Cancer Screening For Women Ages 40-49 – NIH Consensus Statement. Medscape General Medicine. 1999) Early, accurate detection leading to effective and less drastic treatment methods can significantly reduce the trauma associated with breast cancer, resulting in better prognosis and

Business Process Reengineering in Service Sector

Business Process Reengineering in Service Sector Over the years, there has been a realization that for all businesses, manufacturing or service, change is key to success. Increasing costs, challenging timelines, cutthroat competition, and technological innovations are some of the major factors propelling change. Since most of the services are people / process oriented, the change is not easy to carry. Add to it, the fast vanishing geographical boundaries make the tasks even more difficult for the organizations. Whether the company operates in manufacturing sector or in services; organizations have been forced to rethink their strategies. Many a time, service sector has been ahead of manufacturing in the Business Process Reengineering queue. Improved Product / Service quality, reduced cycle time, reduced cost to the customer are direct outcomes of BPR. BPR is essentially different from other changes in an organization that it defies the Old wine in a new bottle principle. Business Process Reengineering is by definition, the means by which an organization can achieve radical change in performance as measured by cost, cycle time, service, and quality, by the application of a variety of tools and techniques that focus on the business as a set of related customer-oriented core business processes rather than a set of organizational functions. The shift is imminent. Competition is now global as against Local or regional in the past. Markets are focused in comparison to Mass. Operations are flexible in contrast to controlled. The focus is on Best service than performance. BPR is the answer as it talks of radical change vis-a-vis Traditional approach which limits itself to incremental changes. Business Process Reengineering involves tinkering with the organizations DNA and producing an evolved species. The mistake companies tend to make is pick the wrong process to be reengineered, or make only superficial changes. According to James A. Champy one of the founders of the management theory behind Business Process Reengineering, and proponent of a process oriented view of business management, BPR is not just about reducing cost but also improving quality, speed to market and changing the customer experience. Why BPR? The changing economic environment has led to an increasing interest in improving organizational processes to enhance business performance. BPR has been instrumental in success of various organizations. Sidikat, Ayanda (2008) in paper titiled, Impact Assessment of Business Process Reengineering on Organisational Performance concluded that business process reengineering has become useful weapon for any corporate organization that is seeking for improvement in their current organizational performance and intends achieve cost leadership strategy in its operating industry and environment. Different objectives of BPR include: Reduced transaction process time Improved customer service Increased volume of business Reduced operating cost Higher profitability Improved Employee loyalty Key enablers of BPR BPR involves a rationale change at every level of organization starting with top management. The most important thing to keep in mind while implementing any such exercise is to work across processes and not functions. Equally important is to have a strong internal team that is working on the implementation. Key enablers of BPR can be listed as follows: People Management Leadership Organizational Culture Functional Expertise Instantaneous reaction Performance Indictors Quality, Lead Time, Cost, Service Service Sector in India The service sector has experienced rapid growth over the years as many nations including India shifted from a manufacturing-based economy to a service economy. A major spur in this shift happened as a result of computerization and advancements in telecommunication. Along with this shift, the consumers expectations have grown manifold. It is extremely difficult to meet desired service levels in todays age without a shift from age old systems to high-tech advanced systems. Before discussing about BPR in service sector, a brief list of different Service sectors is as follows. Trade Hotels and Restaurants Railways Other Transport Storage Communication (Post, Telecom) Banking Insurance Dwellings, Real Estate Business Services Public Administration; Defense Personal Services Community Services Other Services BPR Service Sector Though Business Process Reengineering has been instrumental in changing the fate of many manufacturing industries, it has played an equally pivotal role in service sector. Additional Ps People Process that differentiate Services from Products along with PhysicaI Evidence are the most important drivers leading to this overhaul. Suzanne Wintrob (1995) in research paper titled It wont work if users kept in dark discussed the incomparable role of people in Business Process Reengineering. According to Sunil Chandiramani, National Director Advisory services, Ernst Young, The external team (consultants) can facilitate the process, but it has to be led by the internal team. In recent past, many service sector companies have successfully seen the transition from being overloaded with papers to technology driven time-saving systems. In India, with government giving a go-ahead to private players in 90s, public sector companies felt the heat and started losing market share to private counterparts. The private companies implemented modern centralized core processing systems. Banking is one of many Indian industries where this transition holds true. Indian Post and Indian Railways are other two takers of this dynamism. Banking Finance Public Sector Banks in India are the building blocks of Indian economy. Ironically, they had been deprived of all modernized systems till late 90s. They offered the most basic services such as manual deposits and withdrawals as compared to a bouquet of services such as facility of ATM, 24-hour banking, E-banking, M-banking provided today. State Bank of India is one such example which had undertaken a massive computerization effort to automate all its branches, implementing a highly customized version of Bankmaster core banking system. However, because of Banks historic use of manual systems void of centralization and problems in communication systems, it had to resort to decentralized system to start with. The need for reengineering arose because SBI along with other public sector counterparts started losing existing customers and were handicapped to tap the ever growing potential of middle class. In 2000, SBI engaged KPMG for this overhaul and in 2002, KPMG recommended an IT driven systems to counter the private players led competition. To start with 3300 branches were selected for implementation which was later expanded to 14600 of SBI affiliate branches considering unparalleled success. SBI planned to provide a single window system, better customer service, wanted to reach out to urban as well as rural population and control the customer switching along with many other objectives that it sought. The biggest problem that drove this restructuring for this Public sector giant was that since branches were not connected, the customer was a Branch customer rather than a Bank customer. Moreover Information Technology till now, was aimed only at Internal efficiency. Hence, it was planned to share operations for back-office functions and rework the workflows and processes. Indian Postal System BPR has aimed at radical improvements by means of elevating efficiency and effectiveness of the business processes that exist within and across department. The key for BPR is to look at business processes from a clean slate perspective and determine how they can best construct these processes to improve the way business is conducted. Department of Posts occasionally conducts workshops related to BPR involving the people such as Nodal Officers who are part of BPR strategy and implementation. India Post has been making several upgradations to existing systems and has started offering bouquet of services such as Money Transfers, One-stop bill payment (Telephone, electricity), Driving license renewals etc. Speed Post, started by Department of Posts in August 1986 for providing time-bound and express delivery of letters documents and parcels across the nation and abroad, is the market leader in the domestic express industry. Through ePOST service launched in 2004, customers can send their messages to any address in India with a combination of electronic transmission and physical delivery through a network of more than 1,55,000 Post Offices. ePOST sends messages as a soft copy through internet and delivered to the addressee in the form of hard copy at nominal charge of Rs 10 per A4 sheet. ePayment is a comprehensive bill payment service offered by India Post to help meet the needs of the business customers.  This allows collection of bills (telephone bills, electricity bills, university fee, school fee, insurance premia etc) on behalf of any organization. The collection is consolidated electronically using web based software and payment is made centrally through cheque from a specified post office. The payment information can be assessed online by the user. Instant Money Order (iMO), the instant on-line money transfer service, provides speed, mobility, safety and reliability for money transfer. IMO is an instant web based money transfer service through Post Offices (iMO Centre) in India between two resident individuals in Indian territory. Though the number of services offered is many, still huge gaps exist in quality as compared to international standards. To enable Department of Posts to achieve the business objectives of becoming the IT enabled complete service provider, Project Management Unit have been entrusted with the task of creating state of the art electronic network covering all its offices and all products and services including third party services and enable electronic transmission of information for conducting monitoring operations, consolidating transactions data and generating an effective MIS. Business Process Reengineering groups were formed and their reports are being evaluated by concerned Divisions of Directorate, which would form the base to make the comprehensive IT strategy and roadmap for Department of Posts. Indian Railways Its been long since computerized passenger reservation system was started by Indian Railways. Today the reservation related workload has increased manifold but railways have been able to manage the work without much increase in manpower. Different systems incorporated by railways includes- Software Aided Train Scheduling Network Governance Main objectives of train scheduling are that it should be convenient to the passenger and feasible to run on the system. Introducing new train services and augmenting older ones is an art and a select group of planners are highly skilled in this task. Indian Railways have now started using information technology to aid the planning process. Web Enabled Claims System The worlds biggest employer, the Indian Railways, which earlier used to prepare various claim (Court/Accident) documents manually, has shifted to web claims format which maintains up to date database of all such cases. Thereby, eliminating complex file maintenance providing for queries that gives the precise status of registered cases in Chief Claims Office. Punctuality Module This module was implemented in February, 2004. This module captures the delays involved in train running at interchange points and detention causes for the delays at the divisional level. Based on this input, reports are generated for traffic managers. CONCERT Country-wide Network for Computerized Enhanced Reservation and Ticketing developed by CRIS, is a total networking solution to Indian Railways Passenger Reservation System. Seat Availability/PNR/Journey Planner/Fare/Time Table enquiries and e-Reservation of tickets are available on the internet. Along with above initiatives, ATM integration with reservation/enquiry system is being planned as well. A number of Banks in India shall be issuing Reserved and Unreserved Tickets through their ATMs under an arrangement with Zonal Railways. It is not only the old stalwarts who have reengineered. Even the private sector and novice companies in upcoming sectors have seen this change. For Spencers, RPG Groups retail chain, massive ramp-up in operations necessitated a series of restructurings. The chain planned to increase from an area of 2.5 lakh square feet to 15 lakh square ft i.e. from 52 to 400 stores. This meant that the older systems were no longer adequate. Hence, instead of doing an incremental improvement on the existing processes, the company introduced an automatic replenishment system. This has resulted in decreased stockouts and increasing efficiency. It may be concluded that BPR initiatives have less to do with controlling costs and more about managing business, which underlines the importance of this concept.

Class X – Democratic Politics Book

This book is about democracy. In this first chapter we see how democracy has expanded during the last hundred years to more and more countries in the world.More than half of the independent countries in the world today are democracies. The expansion of democracy has not been smooth and straight. It has seen several ups and downs in different countries. It still remains an unstable and uncertain achievement. This chapter begins with different stories on the making and unmaking of democracy from different parts of the world. These stories are meant to give a sense of what it means to experience democracy and its absence. We present the pattern of the spread of democracy first with a series of maps and then with a short history. The focus in this chapter is on democracy within a country.But towards the end of the chapter, we take a look at democracy or its absence in the relations among different countries. We examine the working of some international organisations. This allows us to as k a big question: are we moving towards democracy at the global level? 2 EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS President Salvador Allende (wearing a helmet) and his security guards in front of La Moneda, Chile’s Presidential Palace, on 11 September 1973, hours before his death. What do you read on everyone’s face in this photograph? EMOCRAC ACY 1. 1 TWO TALES OF DEMOCRACY â€Å"Workers of my homeland!I have faith in Chile and its future. Chileans will overcome this dark and bitter moment when treason became dominant. You must never forget that, sooner rather than later, the grand avenues will be opened where free men will march on to build a better society. Long live Chile! Long live the people! Long live the workers! These are my last words and I have certainty that my sacrifice will not be in vain; I have certainty that, at the least, I will be a moral lesson to castigate felony, cowardice, and treason. † These are some extracts from the last speech of Salvado r Allende (pronounced Ayen-they).He was then the President of Chile, a country in South America. The speech was given on the morning of 11 September 1973, the day his government was overthrown by the military. Allende was the founder EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY leader of the Socialist Party of Chile and led the Popular Unity coalition to victory in the presidential election in 1970. After being elected the President, Allende had taken several policy decisions to help the poor and the workers. These included reform of the educational system, free milk for children and redistribution of land to the landless farmers.He was opposed to foreign companies taking away natural resources like copper from the country. The landlords, the rich and the Church opposed his policies. Some other political parties in Chile also opposed his government. Why did President Allende address himself mainly to ‘workers’? Why were the rich unhappy with him? M ilitary Coup of 1973 ilitary Coup On the mo rning of 11 September 1973, the military took over the seaport. The Defence Minister was arrested by the military when he arrived at his office. The military 3 IN THE NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD  ©La Nacion commanders asked the President to resign.Allende refused to resign or leave the country. But realising the danger to the country and to his life, he addressed the people on the radio, part of which we read in the beginning. Then the military surrounded the President’s house and started bombing it. President Allende died in the military attack. This was the sacrifice he was talking about in his last speech. A government elected by people was overthrown by the military through conspiracy and violence. What took place in Chile on 11 September 1973 was a military coup. General Augusto Pinochet (pronounced Pinoshe), an Army general, led the coup.The government of the United States of America was unhappy with Allende’s rule and is known to have supported and funded ac tivities that led to the coup. Pinochet became the President of the country and ruled it for the next 17 years. From a government that was elected by the people, the power shifted to the military officers. They could do as they wished and no one could question them. Thus a military dictatorship was established in Chile. Pinochet’s government tortured and killed several of those who supported Allende and those who wanted democracy to be restored.These included General Alberto Bachelet of the Chilean Air Force and many other officers who refused to join the coup. General Bachelet’s wife and daughter were put in prison and tortured. More than 3,000 people were killed by the military. Many more were reported ‘missing’. No one knows what happened to them. Did the army have any legal right to arrest the defence minister of the country? Should the army have the power to arrest any citizen? A C T I V I T Y Locate and shade Chile on the map. Which state in our coun try has a shape similar to Chile?Follow the newspaper for one month and collect news items related to any country in Latin America. Did you find the news coverge adequate. President Michelle Bachelet addressing her supporters after her victory in the presidential election in January 2006. From this photograph do you notice any difference between an election rally in Chile and in India?  ©La Nacion, Chile 4 EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS Lech Walesa Poland is famous for its poster art. Most of the posters of Solidarity carried this special way of writing ‘Solidarnosc’. Can you find similar examples of poster art or wall writing in Indian politics? sto ra Democr cy emocra R esto ra tion of Democra cy Pinochet’s military dictatorship came to an end after he decided to hold a referendum in 1988. He felt confident that in this referendum, the people would say ‘yes’ to his continuing in power. But the people of Chile had not forgotten their democr atic traditions. Their vote was a decisive ‘no’ to Pinochet. This led to Pinochet losing first his political and then his military powers. The hope Allende expressed in his last address was realised: felony, cowardice and treason were finally punished. Political freedom was restored.Since then Chile has held four presidential elections in which different political parties have participated. Slowly, the army’s role in the country’s government has been eliminated. The elected governments that came to power ordered inquiries into Pinochet’s rule. These inquiries showed that his government was not only very brutal, but also very corrupt. Do you remember a little reference made earlier to General Bachelet’s daughter who was imprisoned and tortured along with her mother? That girl, Michelle Bachelet (pronounced Mishel Bashelet), was elected President of Chile in January 2006.A medical doctor and a moderate socialist, Michelle became the first woman to be a Defence Minister in Latin America. In the presidential elections she defeated one of Chile’s richest men. In this photograph of her victory speech, she is saying to her supporters: â€Å"Because I was the victim of hatred, I have dedicated my life to reverse that hatred and turn it into understanding, tolerance and — why not say it — into love. † emocra cy Poland D emocra cy in Poland Let us turn to another event, this time from Poland, in 1980. At that time Poland was ruled by the Polish United Workers’ Party.This was one of the many communist parties that ruled in several countries of East Europe at that time. In these countries no other political party was allowed to function. The people could not freely choose the leaders of the communist party or the government. Those who spoke against the leaders or the party or the government were put in prison. The government in Poland was supported and controlled by the government of the Soviet Un ion (USSR), a vast and powerful communist state. On 14 August 1980, the workers of Lenin Shipyard in the city of Gdansk went on a strike.The shipyard was owned by the government. In fact all the factories and big property in Poland were owned by the government. The strike began with a demand to take back a crane operator, a woman worker, who was unjustly dismissed 5 EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY IN THE NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD from service. This strike was illegal, because trade unions independent of the ruling party were not allowed in Poland. As the strike continued, a former electrician of the shipyard, Lech Walesa (pronounced Lek Walesha), joined the strikers. He was dismissed from service in 1976 for demanding higher pay.Walesa soon emerged as the leader of the striking workers. The strike began to spread across the whole city. Now the workers started raising larger demands. They wanted the right to form independent trade unions. They also demanded the release of political prison ers and an end to censorship on press. The movement became so popular that the government had to give in. The workers led by Walesa signed a 21-point agreement with the government that ended their strike. The government agreed to recognise the workers’ right to form independent trade unions and their right to strike.After the Gdansk agreement was signed, a new trade union called Solidarity (Solidarnosc in Polish) was formed. It was the first time an independent trade union was formed in any of the communist states. Within a year, Solidarity swept across Poland and had about one crore members. Revelations of widespread corruption and mismanagement in the government made matters worse for the rulers. The government, led by General Jaruzelski, grew anxious and imposed martial law in December 1981. Thousands of Solidarity members were put in prison.Freedom to organise, protest and express opinions was once again taken away. Another wave of strikes, again organised by Solidarity, began in 1988. This time the Polish 6 government was weaker, the support from Soviet Union uncertain and the economy was in decline. Another round of negotiations with Walesa resulted in an agreement in April 1989 for free elections. Solidarity contested all the 100 seats of the Senate and won 99 of them. In October 1990, Poland had its first presidential elections in which more than one party could contest. Walesa was elected President of Poland. A C T I V I T YLocate Poland on the map. Write down the names of the countries that surround it. Which other East European countries were ruled by communist parties in the 1980s? Shade them on the map. Make a list of political activities that you could not have done in Poland in 1980s but you can do in our country. Fe atur tures Democr cy emocra Tw o Fe atures of Democra cy We have read two different kinds of real life stories. The story from Chile was of a democratic government led by Allende being replaced by a nondemocratic military gov ernment of Pinochet, followed by restoration of democracy.In Poland we tracked the transition from a non-democratic government to a democratic government. Let us compare the two nondemocratic governments in these stories. There were many differences between Pinochet’s rule in Chile and the communist rule in Poland. Chile was ruled by a military dictator, while Poland was ruled by a political party. The government of Poland claimed that it was ruling on behalf of the working classes. Pinochet made no such claim and openly favoured big capitalists. Yet both had some common features: EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICSWhy was an independent trade union so important in Poland? Why are trade unions necessary? The people could not choose or change their rulers. There was no real freedom to express one’s opinions, form political associations and organise protests and political action. The three democratic governments identified above — Allende’s Chile, Walesaà ¢â‚¬â„¢s Poland and Michelle’s Chile — are different in their approach towards social and economic matters. Allende preferred government control on all big industries and the economy. Walesa wanted the market to be free of government interference.Michelle stands somewhere in the middle on this issue. Yet these three governments shared some basic features. Power was exercised by governments elected by the people and not by the army, unelected leaders or any external power. The people enjoyed some basic political freedoms. From these two stories let us draw a rough way to identify a democracy. Democracy is a form of government that allows people to choose their rulers. In a democracy: only leaders elected by people should rule the country, and people have the freedom to express views, freedom to organise and freedom to protest.We shall come back to this question in Chapter Two and develop a definition of democracy. We shall also note some features of a democracy. CHECK Y OUR PROGRESS Anita made a list of the features of all the five governments that we have discussed so far. But somehow the list got mixed up. Now she has a list of many features but she does not remember which feature applies to which government. Can you help her by writing the correct feature under the name of the government in the table below? Remember, some of these features may apply to more than one government and would need to be written separately under each of these.Features: Military dictatorship Widespread t he The president sm of Critici ent not corruption was once a m er govern political prison d Government allowe Ruler elected owned all Ruler not by the people industries More than o ne elected by the parties e xist people Missing people People enjoyed Foreign basic political inter venti s freedom on domestic a in ffairs Chile Allende Chile Pinochet Chile Bachelet Poland Jaruzelski Poland Walesa EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY IN THE NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD 7 1. 2 THE CHANGI NG MAPTwentieth century was full of the kind of stories we have read above: stories of transition to democracy, of challenges to democracy, of military coups, of struggles of the people to bring back democracy. Was there a pattern to these stories that record both the march towards democracy and the setbacks to democracy? Let us use the basic features we noted earlier and identify democracies among different countries of the world. This is what the three maps shown here do. Take a look at these three maps below and find out if there was a pattern in the way democracies have evolved in the twentieth century.The first map depicts the countries OF EMOCRAC ACY DEMOCRACY that were democratic in 1950, a few years after the end of the Second World War. This map also shows countries from this set that had already become democratic by 1900. The second map presents a picture of democratic regimes in 1975, after most of the colonies had gained independence. Finally, we take another leap and lo ok at democracies in the year 2000, at the beginning of the twenty-first century. As we look at these maps, let us ask ourselves some questions. How has democracy marched through the twentieth century? Is there a clear pattern of expansion?When did the expansion take place? In which regions? MAP 1. 1: DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS IN 1900-1950 DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IN 1900 AND 1950 DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IN 1950 BUT NOT IN 1900 8 EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS MAP 1. 2: DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS IN 1975 DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IN 1975 MAP 1. 3: DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS IN 2000 DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IN 2000 Source: Historical data for these maps is taken from Polity IV Project dataset of Universtiy of Maryland. This dataset defines democracy as existence of choices about policies and leaders, checks on executive power and guarantee of civil liberties.Here we have used positive ‘Polity’ scores as indicating the existence of democracy. In some cases the scores of dataset have been modified. For details see http://www. cidcm. umd. edu EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY IN THE NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD 9 On the basis of these maps identify up to three countries (in some cases you won’t find three countries) that were democratic in these continents for the given years and make a table as given below. Year 1950 1975 2000 Africa Asia Europe Latin America CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Identify some countries from map 1. 1 that became democratic between 1900 and 1950. Identify some countries from map 1. and 1. 2 that were democratic in 1950 and 1975. Identify some European countries from map 1. 2 and 1. 3 that were democratic in 1975 and 2000. Identify some countries in Latin America that became democratic after 1975. Make a list of big countries that were not democratic in 2000. Let us summarise the main points that emerge from a reading of these maps. You need to go back to the maps to answer the question that comes after each point. Democracy has expanded throughout the tw entieth century. Is it correct to say that at each point in these maps, the number of democratic countries is larger than at the previous point in time?Democracy did not spread evenly in all parts of the world. It was established first in some regions and then spread to other regions. Which continents in the world had a large number of democracies in 1900 and 1950? And which continents did not have almost any? While a majority of countries are democratic today, there are still large parts of the world that are not democratic. Which regions in the world account for most of the countries that were not democracies in 2000? Looking at these maps, which period do you find most important in the expansion of democracy? Why? HASES XPANSI ANSIO 1. PHASES IN THE EXPANSION EMOCRAC ACY OF DEMOCRACY Beginning T he Beginning These maps do not tell us much about what happened before the twentieth century. The story of modern democracy began at least two centuries ago. You may have read the chapter on the French Revolution of 1789 in the history book of this course. This popular uprising did not establish a secure and stable democracy in France. Throughout the nineteenth century, democracy in France was overthrown and restored several times. Yet the French Revolution inspired many struggles for democracy all over Europe.In Britain, the progress towards democracy started much before the French Revolution. But the progress was very slow. Through the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries, series of political events reduced the power of monarchy and feudal lords. The right to vote was granted to more and more people. Around the same time as the French Revolution, the British colonies in North America declared themselves independent in 1776. In the next few years these colonies came together to form the United States of America. They adopted a democratic EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS 10Why were women given voting rights much later than men in most countries? Why did this not happen in India? constitution in 1787. But here too the right to vote was limited to very few men. In the nineteenth century struggles for democracy often centred round political equality, freedom and justice. One major demand was the right for every adult citizen to vote. Many European countries that were becoming more democratic did not initially allow all people to vote. In some countries only people owning property had the right to vote. Often women did not have the right to vote.In the United States of America, the blacks all over the country could not exercise the right to vote until 1965. Those struggling for democracy wanted this right granted universally to all adults — men or women, rich or poor, white or black. This is called ‘universal adult franchise’ or ‘universal suffrage’. The box here tells us when universal suffrage was granted in many countries of the world. As you can see, by 1900 New Zealand was the only country where every adult had voting right. But if you go back to the map, you can see many other countries are marked as ‘democracies’ by the beginning of the twentieth century.These countries had by then governments elected by a significant number of people, mostly men, and had granted political freedom in some measure. Early democracies were established in Europe, North America and Latin America. Colonialism E nd of Colonialism When was universal adult franchise granted? 1893 1917 1918 1919 1928 1931 1934 1944 1945 1950 1951 1952 1955 1962 1965 1978 1994 New Zealand Russia Germany Netherlands Britain Sri Lanka Turkey France Japan India Argentina Greece Malaysia Australia US Spain South Africa Note: This is only an illustrative list from different parts of the world.The year indicates when the principle of one person one vote was fully realised in that country. The list does not include those cases where the right to vote was withdrawn later. For a very long time most countries in Asia a nd Africa were colonies under the control of European nations. People of the colonised countries had to wage struggles to achieve independence. They not only wanted to get rid of their colonial masters, but also wished to choose their future leaders. Our country was one of the few colonies where people carried a nationalist struggle to liberate the country from the colonial rule.Many of these countries became democracies immediately after the end of the Second World War in 1945. India achieved Independence in 1947 and embarked on its journey to transform itself from a subject country to a democracy. It continues to be a democracy. Most former colonies did not have such a good experience. The case of Ghana, a country in western Africa, illustrates the more common experience of former colonies. Ghana used to be a British colony named Gold Coast. It became independent in 1957. It was among the first countries in Africa to gain independence. It inspired other African countries to strugg le for freedom.Kwame Nkrumah (pronounced Enkruma), son of a 11 EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY IN THE NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD goldsmith and himself a teacher, was active in the independence struggle of his country. After independence, Nkrumah became the first prime minister and then the president of Ghana. He was a friend of Jawaharlal Nehru and an inspiration for democrats in Africa. But unlike Nehru, he got himself elected president for life. Soon after, in 1966, he was overthrown by the military. Like Ghana, most countries that became democracies after gaining independence had a mixed record. They could not remain democracies for long.A C T I V I T Y Locate Ghana in an atlas and then spot it in the three maps in the previous section. Was Ghana a democracy in 2000? Do you think it is good to elect someone President for life? Or is it better to hold regular elections after every few years? nt R e c e nt phase The next big push towards democracy came after 1980, as democracy was revive d in several countries of Latin America. The disintegration of the Soviet Union accelerated this process. From the story of Poland we know that the then Soviet Union controlled many of its neighbouring communist countries in Eastern Europe.Poland and several other countries became free from the control of the Soviet Union during 1989-90. They chose to become democracies. Finally the Soviet Union itself broke down in 1991. The Soviet Union comprised 15 Republics. All the constituent Republics emerged as independent countries. Most of them became democracies. Thus the end of Soviet control on East Europe and the break up of the Soviet Union led to a big 12 change in the political map of the world. In this period major changes also took place in India’s neighbourhood. Pakistan and Bangladesh made a transition from army rule to democracy in 1990s.In Nepal, the king gave up many of his powers to become a constitutional monarch to be guided by elected leaders. However, these change s were not permanent. In 1999 General Musharraf brought back army rule in Pakistan. In 2005 the new king of Nepal dismissed the elected government and took back political freedoms that people had won in the previous decade. Yet the overall trend in this period points to more and more countries turning to democracy. This phase still continues. By 2005, about 140 countries were holding multi-party elections. This number was higher than ever before.More than 80 previously non-democratic countries have made significant advances towards democracy since 1980. But, even today, there are many countries where people cannot express their opinion freely. They Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra, the capital of Ghana. This park was commissioned in 1992, twenty years after Nkrumah passed away. What might have caused this delay? EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS Dev Ley, Wikipedia, GNU Free Documentation License read the cartoon  ©Stephane Peray, Thailand, Cagle Cartoons Inc. This cartoon appeared in 2005 when Aung San Suu Kyi’s turned 60. What is the cartoonist saying here?Will the army rulers feel happy with this cartoon? What should be the policy of the government of India towards the military rulers of Myanmar? still cannot elect their leaders. They cannot take big decisions about their present and future life. One such country is Myanmar, previously known as Burma. It gained freedom from colonial rule in 1948 and became a democracy. But the democratic rule ended in 1962 with a military coup. In 1990 elections were held for the first time after almost 30 years. The National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi (pronounced Soo-chi), won the election.But the military leaders of Myanmar refused to step down and did not recognise the election results. Instead, the military put the elected pro-democracy leaders, including Suu Kyi, under house arrest. Political activists accused of even the most trivial offences have been jailed. Anyone caught publicly airing views or issuing statements critical of the regime can be sentenced up to twenty years in prison. Due to the coercive policies of the military-ruled EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY government in Myanmar, about 6 to 10 lakh people in that country have been uprooted from their homes and have taken shelter elsewhere.Despite being under house arrest, Suu Kyi continued to campaign for democracy. According to her: â€Å"The quest for democracy in Burma is the struggle of the people to live whole, meaningful lives as free and equal members of the world community. † Her struggle has won international recognition. She has also been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet the people in Myanmar are still struggling to establish a democratic government in their country. A C T I V I T Y Locate Myanmar on an atlas. Which Indian states border this country? Write a short essay on the life of Aung San Suu Kyi.Collect newspaper reports on the struggle for democracy in Myanmar. 13 IN THE NTEMPORARY CO NTEMPORARY WORLD EMOCRAC ACY 1. 4 DEMOCRACY AT THE GLOBAL LE VEL? After reading about the various phases of expansion of democracy, a teacher, Mr. Singh, asked the students to summarise what they had learnt. This is how the conversation took place: Farida: We have learnt that democracy has been expanding to more and more regions and countries all over the world. Rajesh: Yes, we live in a better world than before. It seems we are moving towards a world democracy. Sushmita: World democracy! How can you say that?I saw a television programme that showed how the Americans invaded Iraq without any justification. The people of Iraq were not consulted at any stage. How can you call that a world democracy? Farida: I am not talking about the relationship between different countries. I am only saying that more and more countries are becoming democratic. Rajesh: But what is the difference between the two? If more and more countries become democratic, isn’t it obvious that the world also becomes more democratic? After all the Iraq war was all about taking democracy to that country. Sushmita: No, it is not obvious to me.Singh sir: I think we are talking about two very different things here. Farida spoke about establishment of democratic governments within different countries in the world today. Sushmita and Rajesh have differences over something else. Their difference is over the relationship among different countries. It is quite possible, Rajesh, that the rulers of a country who are democratically elected by their people may want to dominate over other countries. Sushmita: Yes sir. That is exactly what happened in the case of the war on Iraq. Surinder: I am confused. How can we talk about democracy at the global level? Is there any world government?Who is the president of the world? If there is no government, how can it be democratic or non-democratic? nt rn ational Organisations I nt e rn ational Organisations Let us respond to the question that came up in this co nversation: Does an increase in the number of democratic countries all over the world automatically lead to democratic relations among countries? Before we do that, let us think about the point raised by Surinder. There is a government of India, a government of the United States of America, and so on. But there is no government of the world. No government can pass any law that will apply to all the people of the world.If there is no such government, if there are no rulers and ruled, how can we apply the two features of democracy here? These two features, you would recall, were that the rulers should be elected by the people and that people should have basic political freedoms. Should there be a world government? If yes, who should elect it? And, what powers should it have?  ©Angel Boligan, EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS Universal,Mexico, Cagle Cartoons Inc. This cartoon was published in Mexico in 2005 and was titled ‘International Games’. Which games is the car toonist talking about here? What does the ball symbolize?Who are the players? 14 Should the permanent members of the UN be given the power to veto? While Surinder is right in a simple sense, we cannot say that the question of democracy does not arise here. There is no single World Government, but there are many institutions in the world that perform partially the functions of such a government. These organisations cannot command countries and citizens in a way a government can, but they do make rules that put limits on what governments can do. Consider these points: Who makes laws and rules to govern the seas that do not fall within the boundaries of any one country?Or who takes steps to control environmental degradation that threatens all the countries together. The United Nations (UN) has evolved many Conventions on these questions that are now binding on most countries of the world. The UN is a global association of nations of the world to help cooperation in international law, s ecurity, economic development and social equity. The UN Secretary General is its chief administrative officer. What happens when a country attacks another country in an unjust manner? The UN Security Council, an organ of the UN, is responsible for maintaining peace nd security among countries. It can put together an international army and take action against the wrongdoer. Who lends money to governments when they need it? The International Monetary Fund (IMF) does so. The World Bank also gives loans to the governments. Before lending they ask the concerned government to show all its accounts and direct it to make changes in its economic policy. EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY decisions A r e these decisions democra democra tic? So, there are many institutions at the world level that perform some of the functions that a world government would perform.But we need to know just how democratic these organisations are. The yardstick here is whether each of the countries has free and equal say in t he decisions that affect them. In this light let us examine the organisation of some of these world bodies. Everyone of the 192 member countries of the UN has one vote in the UN General Assembly. It meets in regular yearly sessions under a president elected from among the representatives of the member countries. General Assembly is like the parliament where all the discussion takes place. In that sense the UN would appear to be a very democratic organisation.But the General Assembly cannot take any decision about what action should be taken in a conflict between different countries. The fifteen-member Security Council of the UN takes such crucial decisions. The Council has five permanent members – US, Russia, UK, France and China. Ten other members are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. The real power is with five permanent members. The permanent members, especially the US, contribute most of the money needed for the maintenance of the UN. Each permanent memb er has veto power. It means that the Council cannot take a decision if any permanent member says no to that decision.This system has led more and more people and countries to protect and demand that the UN becomes more democratic. 15 IN THE NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD International Monetary Fund (IMF) is one of the biggest moneylenders for any country in the world. Its 173 member states do not have equal voting rights. The vote of each country is weighed by how much money it has contributed to the IMF. Nearly half of the voting power in the IMF is in the hands of only seven countries (US, Japan, France, UK, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia). The remaining 166 countries have very little say in how these international organisations take decisions.The World Bank has a similar system of voting. The President of the World Bank has always been a citizen of the US, conventionally nominated by the Treasury Secretary (Finance Minister) of the US government. A C T I V I T Y Find out more abou t the history and various organs of the United Nations. Collect any news about the decisions of the World Bank and the IMF. Compare these to the kind of democratic practices that we have been discussing in this chapter. What would you say about a country where some persons have a permanent position in the ministry and have the power to stop the decision of the entire parliament?Or a parliament where five per cent of the members hold a majority of votes? Would you call these democratic? Most of the global institutions fail to pass the simple test of democracy that we use for national governments. If global institutions are not democratic, are they at least becoming more democratic than before? Here too the evidence is not very encouraging. In fact, while 16 nations are becoming more democratic than they were earlier, international organisations are becoming less democratic. Twenty years ago there were two big powers in the world: the US and the Soviet Union.The competition and confli ct between these two big powers and their allies kept a certain balance in all the global organisations. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US appears to be the only superpower in the world. This American dominance affects the working of international organisations. This is not to say that there is no urge or move towards global democracy. The urge comes from people who get more opportunities to come in touch with one another. Over the last few years the people of different countries have come together without their governments’ support.They have formed global organisations against war and against domination of the world by a few countries and business companies. As in the case of democracy within the nations, the initiative for democracy among nations has come from the struggles of the people. Wolfowitz was a senior official in the Department of Defence in the US (commonly called Pentagon). He was an aggressive supporter of the invasion of Iraq. The cartoon comments on his appointment as the President of the World Bank. What does the cartoon tell us about the relationship between the World Bank and the US? ead the cartoon  ©Patrick Chappatte, International Herald Tribune, Cagle Cartoons Inc. EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Here are some suggestions to strengthen world democracy. Do you support these changes? Are these changes likely to happen? Give your reasons for each of these. More nations should become permanent members of the Security Council. UN General Assembly should become like a world parliament with representatives from each country in proportion to the population of the country. These representatives should elect a world government.Individual countries should not have armies. The UN should maintain task forces to bring about peace in case of conflict between nations. A UN President should be elected directly by all the people of the world. D emocra cy promotion emocra cy The cartoon â€Å"Cactus of Demo cracy† was published in 2004. What does the cactus look like here? Who is gifting it, and to whom? What is the message? read the cartoon  ©Stephane Peray, Thailand, Cagle Cartoons Inc. Take a close look at the two cartoons on this and on the next page. These cartoons raise a fundamental question related to global democracy.Recently, many powerful countries in the world, particularly the United States of America, have taken on the task of democracy promotion in the rest of the world. They say that propagating the values of democracy is not enough. Existing democracies should directly intervene in countries that are non-democratic to establish democracy there. In some cases powerful countries have launched armed attack on nondemocratic countries. This is what Sushmita was talking about. Let us see what happened in Iraq. Iraq is a country in Western Asia. It became independent from British ule in 1932. Three decades later there were a series of coups by military officers. Since 1968, it was ruled by Arab Socialist Ba’th Party (the Arabic word Ba’th means renaissance). Saddam Hussein, a leading Ba’th party leader, played a key role in the 1968 coup that brought the party to power. This government abolished traditional Islamic law and gave women the right to vote and several freedoms not granted in other west Asian countries. After becoming the president of Iraq in 1979, Saddam ran a dictatorial government and suppressed any dissent or opposition to his rule.He was known to have got a number of political opponents killed and persons of ethnic minorities massacred. The US and its allies like Britain, alleged that Iraq possessed secret nuclear weapons and other ‘weapons of mass destruction’ which posed a big threat to the world. But when a UN team went to Iraq to search for such weapons, it did not find any. Still the US and its allies invaded Iraq, occupied it and removed Saddam Hussein from power in 2003. The US installed a n interim government of its preference. The war against Iraq was not authorised by the UN Security Council.Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General, said that the US war on Iraq was illegal. EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY IN THE NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD 17 A C T I V I T Y Collect information on the debate related to Iraq within the US and the UK. What were the reasons originally offered for the Iraq invasion by the President of US and the Prime Minister of UK? What were the reasons offered after the war? read the cartoon ‘Helping Democracy’ was a comment on the presence of US forces during the elections in Iraq. Do you think the cartoon can apply to many other situations? Identify some examples from this chapter which this cartoon can help understand. 8 EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS  ©Ares, Caglecartoons. com, Cagle Cartoons Inc. The example of Iraq raises some basic questions that we need to think about: Is this the right way to promote democracy? Should a democrati c country wage a war and invade other countries for establishing democracy there? Does external help work in every case? Or does it work only when the people of a nation are actively engaged in a struggle to make their societies democratic? Even if external intervention leads to the establishment of democracy in a country, would it last long? Would it enjoy the support of its citizens?Finally, is the use of external force to gift democracy to the people in keeping with the spirit of democracy? Think about these questions in the light of all that you have learnt in this chapter. GLOSSARY Censorship: A condition under which the freedom of expression is taken away. Citizens have to take prior permission from the censor authorities of the government for making a speech or publishing news and views. Anything that the government finds objectionable cannot be published. Coalition: An alliance of people, associations, parties or nations. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of conveni ence.Colony: Territory under the immediate political control of another state. Communist state: A state governed by a communist party without allowing other parties to compete for power. The state controls all the big property and industry. Coup: A coup d’etat (pronounced ku de’ta), or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government illegally. It may or may not be violent in nature. The term is French for ‘a sudden blow or strike to a state’. Martial law: A system of rules that takes effect when a military authority takes control of the normal administration of justice.Political prisoners: Persons held in prison or otherwise detained, perhaps under house arrest, because a government considers their ideas, image or activities as a threat to the authority of the state. Often exaggerated or false cases are foisted on them and they are kept in detention without following normal law. Referendum: A direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to eit her accept or reject a particular proposal. This may be adoption of a new constitution, a law or a specific governmental policy. Strike: Mass refusal by workers or employees to perform work due to certain grievances or because of demands not met.In most democratic countries the right to strike is legal. Trade Union: An association of workers for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. Veto: The right of a person, party or nation to stop a certain decision or law. The word comes from Latin, which means ‘I forbid’. A veto gives unlimited power to stop a decision, but not to adopt one. exercises 1 Which of the following does not lead to the spread of democracy? a Struggle by the people b Invasion by foreign countries c End of colonialism d People’s desire for freedom Which of the following statement is true about today’s world? Monarchy as a form of government has vanished . b The relationship between different countries ha s become more democratic than ever before. c In more and more countries rulers are being elected by the people. d There are no more military dictators in the world. NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD 2 EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY IN THE 19 3 Use one of the following statements to complete the sentence: Democracy in the international organisations requires that †¦ a The rich countries should have a greater say. b Countries should have a say according to their military power. c Countries should be treated with respect in proportion to their population. All countries in the world should be treated equally. Based on the information given in this chapter, match the following countries and the path democracy has taken in that country. COUNTRY PATH TO DEMOCRACY 4 a b c d 5 Chile Nepal Poland Ghana i ii iii iv Freedom from British colonial rule End of military dictatorship End of one party rule King agreed to give up his powers What are the difficulties people face in a non-democratic country? G ive answers drawing from the examples given in this chapter. Which freedoms are ususally taken away when a democracy is overthrown by the military? 6 7Which of the following positions can contribute to democracy at the global level? Give reasons for your answer in each case. a My country gives more money to international institutions. Therefore, I want to be treated with more respect and exercise more power. b My country may be small or poor. But my voice must be heard with equal respect, because these decisions will affect my country. c Wealthy nations will have a greater say in international affairs. They cannot let their interests suffer just because they are outnumbered by poor nations. d Big countries like India must have a greater say in international organisations.Here are three opinions heard in a television debate on the struggle for democracy in Nepal. Which of these do you agree with and why? Guest 1: India is a democracy. Therefore, the Indian government must support the people of Nepal who are struggling against monarchy and for democracy. Guest 2: That is a dangerous argument. We would be in the same position as the US was in Iraq. Remember, no outside force can promote democracy. Guest 3: But why should we bother about the internal affairs of another country? We should be worried about our business interests there, not about democracy. 8 20 EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS xercises exercises 9 In an imaginary country called Happyland, the people overthrew the foreign ruler and brought back the old royal family. They said: â€Å"After all their ancestors were our kings before foreigners started ruling us. It is good that we have one strong ruler, who can help us become rich and powerful†. When someone talked about democracy the wise men said it is a foreign idea. Their struggle was to throw the foreigners and their ideas out of the country. When someone demanded freedom for the media, the elders thought that too much criticism of the ruler would not help them improve their living standards. After all, the king is so kind and interested in the welfare of all the subjects. Why create problems for him. Don’t we all want to be happy? † After reading the above passage, Chaman, Champa and Chandru made the following observations: Chaman: Happyland is a democratic country because people were able to throw out the foreign rulers and bring back the king. Champa: Happyland is not a democratic country because people cannot criticise the ruler. The king may be nice and may provide economic prosperity, but a king cannot give a democratic rule. Chandru: What people need is happiness.So they are willing to allow their new ruler to take decisions for them. If people are happy it must be a democracy. What is your opinion about each of these statements? What do you think about the form of government in this country? Form different groups in your class and collect different types of information (news clippings, article s, photographs, cartoons, etc. ) about struggles for democracy in any country that is currently not democratic. Focus on the following questions: What makes the government non-democratic? What are the main complaints and demands of the people in that country?How do the existing rulers react to people’s demands? Who are the main leaders of the struggle for democracy? You could present the information thus collected in various forms: an exhibition, a collage, a report or a wallpaper. EMOCRAC ACY D EMOCRACY IN THE NTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY WORLD 21 CHAPTER 2 What is Democracy? Why Democracy? OVERVIEW VERVIE VIEW The stories and the analysis in the previous chapter gave us a sense of what democracy is like. There we described some governments as democratic and some as non-democratic. We saw how governments in some of those countries changed from one form to the other.Let us now draw general lessons from those stories and ask the more basic question: What is democracy? What are its features? This chapter builds on a simple definition of democracy. Step by step, we work out the meaning of the terms involved in this definition. The aim here is to understand clearly the bare minimum features of a democratic form of government. After going through this chapter we should be able to distinguish a democratic form of government from a non-democratic government. Towards the end of this chapter, we step beyond this minimal objective and introduce a broader idea of democracy.In the previous chapter, we have seen that democracy is the most prevalent form of government in the world today and it is expanding to more countries. But why is it so? What makes it better than other forms of government? That is the second big question that we take up in this chapter. 22 EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS HAT 2. 1 W HAT IS EMOCRAC ACY DEMOCRACY? distinguishes these governments from Pinochet’s rule in Chile, communist rule in Poland or the later period of Nkrumah’s rule in Ghana? What do these governments have in common with the military rule in Myanmar? Why do we say that these governments are not democratic?On the basis of this analysis, write down some common features of: Democratic governments Non-democratic governments In Chapter One we read many stories from different parts of the world. Through these stories we discussed various governments and organisations. We called some of these democracies. Others were described as non-democracies. Can you recall, for each of these countries, something about the governments that were described as democracies? Chile, before and after Pinochet’s rule Poland, after the fall of communist rule Ghana, in the early period of Nkrumah’s government What do you think is common to them?Why do we club them all under the label of democracy? What is it that define democra cy W h y define democra cy ? Before we proceed further, let us first take note of an objection by Merry. She does not like this w ay of defining democracy and wants to ask some basic questions. News items like this appear very often in newspapers. Do they all use the word democracy in the same sense? HAT W HAT IS EMOCRAC ACY EMOCRAC ACY DEMOCRACY? WHY DEMOCRACY? 23 Her teacher Matilda Lyngdoh responds to her questions, as other classmates join the discussion: Merry: Ma’am, I don’t like this idea.First we spend one whole chapter discussing democracies in different parts of the world and then we want to find out the meaning of democracy. I mean logically shouldn’t we have approached it the other way round? Shouldn’t the meaning have come first and then the example? Lyngdoh Madam: I can see your point. But that is not how we reason in everyday life. We use words like pen, rain or love. Do we wait to have a definition of these words before we use them? Come to think of it, do we have clear definition of these words? It is only by using a word that we understand its meaning.Merry: But th en why do we need definitions at all? Lyngdoh Madam: We need a definition only when we come across a difficulty in the use of a word. We need a definition of rain only when we wish to distinguish it from, say, drizzle or cloudburst. The same is true for democracy. We need a clear definition only because people use it for different purposes, because very different kinds of governments call themselves democracy. Ribiang: But why do we need to work on a definition? The other day you quoted Abraham Lincoln to us: â€Å"Democracy is a rule of the people, for the people and by the people†.We in Meghalaya always ruled ourselves. That is accepted by everyone. Why do we need to change that? Lyngdoh Madam: I am not saying we need to change it. I too find this definition very beautiful. But we don’t know if this is the best way of defining unless we think about it ourselves. We must not accept something just because it is famous, just because everyone accepts it. Yolanda: Ma†™am, can I suggest something? We don’t need to look for any definition. I read somewhere that the word democracy comes from a Greek word ‘Demokratia’. In Greek ‘demos’ means people and ‘kratia’ means rule. So democracy is rule by the people.This is the correct meaning. Where is the need to debate? Lyngdoh Madam: That is also a very helpful way of thinking about this matter. I would just say that this does not always work. A word does 24 not remain tied to its origin. Just think of computers. Originally they were used for computing, that is to say calculating, very difficult mathematical sums. These were very powerful calculators. But nowadays very few people use computers for computing sums. They use it for writing, for designing, for listening to music and for watching films. Words remain the same but their meaning can change with time.In that case it is not very useful to look at the origins of a word. Merry: Ma’am, so basical ly what you are saying is that there is no shortcut to our thinking about the matter ourselves. We have to think about its meaning and evolve a definition. Lyngdoh Madam: You got me right. Let us get on with it now. A C T I V I T Y Let us take Lyngdoh Madam seriously and try to write down the exact definition of some of the simple words that we use all the time: pen, rain and love. For example, is there a way of defining a pen that distinguishes it clearly from a pencil, a brush, a highlighter or a marker?What have you learnt from this attempt? What does it teach us about understanding the meaning of democracy? I have heard a different version. Democracy is off the people, far (from) the people and (where they) buy the people. Why don’t we accept that? definition A simple definition Let us get back to our discussion on similarities and differences among governments that are called democracies. In the last chapter we identified one simple factor common to all democracies: the government is chosen by the people. We could thus start with a simple definition: democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people.This is a useful starting point. This definition allows us to separate democracy from forms of government that are clearly not democratic. The army rulers of Myanmar are not elected by the people. Those who happen to be in control of the army EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS become the rulers of the country. People have no say in this decision. Dictators like Pinochet are not elected by the people. This also applies to monarchies. The king of Nepal and Saudi Arabia rule not because the people have chosen them to do so but because they happen to be born into the royal family. This simple definition is not adequate.It reminds us that democracy is people’s rule. But if we use this definition in an unthinking manner, we would end up calling almost every government that holds an election a democracy. That would be ve ry misleading. As we noted in Chapter Four, every government in contemporary world wants to be called a democracy, even if it is not so. That is why we need to carefully distinguish between a government that is a democracy and one that pretends to be one. We can do so by understanding each word in this definition carefully and spelling out the features of a democratic government. CHECK YOUR PROGRESSRibiang went back home and collected some more famous quotations on democracy. This time she did not mention the names of the people who said or wrote these. She wants you to read these and comment on how good or useful these thoughts are: Democracy gives every man the right to be his own oppressor. Democracy consists of choosing your dictators after they’ve told you what you think it is you want to hear. Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary Democracy is a device that insures we shall be gove rned no better than we deserve.All the ills of democracy can be cured by more democracy. read the cartoon This cartoon was drawn when elections were held in Iraq with the presence of US and other foreign powers. What do you think this cartoon is saying? Why is ‘democracy’ written the way it is?  ©Stephane Peray, Thailand, Cagle Cartoons Inc. HAT W HAT IS EMOCRAC ACY EMOCRAC ACY DEMOCRACY? WHY DEMOCRACY? 25 EATURES 2. 2 FEATURES EMOCRAC ACY OF DEMOCRACY want in a democracy? Or must a democratic government function with some limits? Is it necessary for a democracy to respect some rights of the citizens? Let us consider each of these questions with the help of some examples.We have started with a simple definition that democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people. This raises many questions: Who are the rulers in this definition? Which officials must be elected for any government to be called a democracy? Which decisions may be taken by nonelected officials in a democracy? What kind of election constitutes a democratic election? What conditions must be fulfilled for an election to be considered democratic? Who are the people who can elect the rulers or get elected as rulers? Should this include every citizen on an equal basis?Can a democracy deny some citizens this right? Finally, what kind of a form of government is democracy? Can elected rulers do whatever they M ajor decisions by elec t e d decisions by elec leaders In Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf led a miliary coup in October 1999. He overthrew a democratically elected government and declared himself the ‘Chief Executive’ of the country. Later he changed his designation to President and in 2002 held a referendum in the country that granted him a fiveyear extension. Pakistani media, human right organisations and democracy activists said that the referendum was based on ead the cartoon Syria is a small west Asian country. The ruling Baath Part y and some of its small allies are the only parties allowed in that country. Do you think this cartoon could apply to China or Mexico? What does the crown of leaves on democracy signify? 26 EMOCRATIC LITICS D EMOCRATIC POLITICS  ©Emad Hajjaj, Jordan, Cagle Cartoons Inc. read the cartoon  ©Ares, Caglecartoon. com, Cagle Cartoons Inc. This cartoon was drawn in the context of Latin America. Do you think it applies to the Pakistani situation as well? Think of other countries where this could apply?Does this happen sometimes in our country as well? rulers. They cannot take the final decisions. The power to take final decision rests with army officials and with General Musharraf, and none of them are elected by the people. This happens in many dictatorships and monarchies. They formally have an elected parliament and government but the real power is with those who are not elected. In the last chapter we read about the role of USSR in communist Poland and that of US in contemporary Ira q. Here the real power was with some external powers and not with locally elected representatives.This cannot be called people’s rule. This gives us the first feature. In a democracy the final decision making power must rest with those elected by the people. malpractices and fraud. In August 2002 he issued a ‘Legal Framework Order’ that amended the constitution of Pakistan. According to this Order, the President can dismiss the national or provincial assemblies. The work of the civilian cabinet is supervised by a National Security Council which is dominated by military officers. After passing this law, elections were held to the national and state assemblies.So Pakistan has had elections, elected representatives have some powers. But the final power rests with military officers and General Musharraf himself. Clearly, there are many reasons why Pakistan under General Musharraf should not be called a democracy. But let us focus on one of these. Can we say that the rulers are elected by the people in Pakistan? Not quite. People may have elected their representatives to the national and provincial assemblies but those elected representatives are not really the HAT W HAT EMOCRAC ACY EMOCRAC ACY DEMOCRACY? WHY DEMOCRACY? elec ra F ree and fair elec t o ra l c ompetitionIn China, elections are regularly held after every five years for electing the country’s parliament, called Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (National People’s Congress). The National People’s Congress has the power to appoint the President of the country. It has nearly 3,000 members elected from all over China. Some members are elected by the army. Before contesting elections, a candidate needs the approval of the Chinese Communist Party. Only those who are members of the Chinese Communist Party or eight smaller parties allied to it were allowed to contest elections held in 2002-03. The government is always formed by the Communist Party.Since its independence in 1 930, Mexico holds elections after every six years to elect its President. The country has never been under a military or dictator’s rule. But until 2000 every election was won by a 27 All this is so remote for me. Is democracy all about rulers and governments? Can we talk about a democratic classroom? Or a democratic family? IS party called PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party). Opposition parties did contest elections, but never managed to win. The PRI was known to use many dirty tricks to win elections. All those who were employed in government offices had to attend its party meetings.Teachers of government schools used to force parents to vote for the PRI. Media largely ignored the activities of opposition political parties except to criticise them. Sometimes the polling booths were shifted from one place to another in the last minute, which made it difficult for people to cast their votes. The PRI spent a large sum of money in the campaign for its candidates. Should we consider the elections described above as examples of people electing their rulers? Reading these examples we get a sense that we cannot. There are many problems here. In China the elections do not offer the people any serious choice.They have to choose the ruling party and the candidates approved by it. Can we call this