Y12W27VC What democracy actually needs

What makes a country a democracy? The casual answer — a country where citizens vote for their leaders — is tidy and deeply incomplete. Political scientists who have studied what actually makes democracies function, as opposed to what makes them superficially resemble democracies, have found something consistent. Voting is necessary but far from sufficient. This week's article examines what else is needed — and what happens when those conditions erode.

Core Vocabulary

erosion

/ɪˈroʊʒən/|e·ro·sion

noun

gradual wearing away

Word Breakdown: e- (out) + rosion (eating away, Latin rodere)

Word family: erode (v./n.)

Synonyms: wear, deterioration, decline

Collocations: democratic erosion, gradual erosion

In the articleThe erosion is usually gradual, often legal, and rarely involves a dramatic coup.

norm

/nɔːrm/|norm

noun

an unwritten standard of behaviour

Word family: normal (v./n.)

Synonyms: standard, convention, practice

Collocations: democratic norms, social norms

In the articleLevitsky and Ziblatt argue that democracy depends on two norms above all: mutual toleration and institutional forbearance.

forbearance

/fɔːrˈberəns/|for·bear·ance

noun

restraint from exercising a right

Word Breakdown: for- (away) + -bearance (endurance)

Word family: forbear (v./n.)

Synonyms: restraint, patience, tolerance

Collocations: institutional forbearance, mutual forbearance

In the articleForbearance means restraint — not doing everything you are legally permitted to do if it would damage democratic institutions.

toleration

/ˌtɑːləˈreɪʃən/|tol·er·a·tion

noun

acceptance of what one disagrees with

Word Breakdown: toler- (bear/endure) + -ation (act of)

Word family: tolerate (v./n.)

Synonyms: acceptance, endurance, allowance

Collocations: mutual toleration, political toleration

In the articleMutual toleration means accepting political opponents as legitimate even when you strongly disagree with them.

rigorously

/ˈrɪɡərəsli/|rig·or·ous·ly

adverb

with strict thoroughness

Word Breakdown: rigor- (stiffness/severity) + -ously (manner)

Word family: rigorous (v./n.)

Synonyms: strictly, thoroughly, precisely

Collocations: rigorously tested, rigorously applied

In the articleDemocracies require not just formal rules but a culture of rigorously respecting those rules even when it is costly to do so.

sustainable

/səˈsteɪnəbəl/|sus·tain·a·ble

adjective

able to be maintained

Word Breakdown: sustain- (hold up, Latin sustinere) + -able (capable of)

Word family: sustain (v./n.)

Synonyms: maintainable, viable, durable

Collocations: sustainable system, sustainable practice

In the articleA sustainable democracy requires that losers accept defeat and that winners exercise restraint.

institutional

/ˌɪnstɪˈtuːʃənəl/|in·sti·tu·tion·al

adjective

relating to formal structures

Word Breakdown: institut- (set up) + -ional (relating to)

Word family: institution (n.)

Synonyms: organizational, formal, structural

Collocations: institutional design, institutional checks

In the articleVoting is a small part of a larger institutional pattern.

procedural

/prəˈsɛdʒərəl/|pro·ce·dur·al

adjective

relating to established methods

Word Breakdown: procedure + -al (relating to)

Word family: procedure (v./n.)

Synonyms: methodological, technical, processual

Collocations: procedural rules, procedural justice

In the articleProcedural democracy — elections plus rule of law — is the minimum, not the aspiration.

Technical Terms

democratic backsliding

/ˌdeməˈkrætɪk/|dem·o·crat·ic

noun

the gradual erosion of democratic institutions, often within continuing elections

Synonyms: similar to the gradual erosion of democratic institutions, often within continuing elections, related concept, the gradual erosion of democratic institutions, often within continuing elections

Example: Understanding democratic backsliding is crucial in this context.

In the articleA country can hold regular elections and still be, in most meaningful senses, not democratic.

institutional forbearance

/ˌɪnstɪˈtuːʃənəl/|in·sti·tu·tion·al

noun

restraint in exercising legal power, identified as crucial by Levitsky and Ziblatt

Synonyms: similar to restraint in exercising legal power, identified as crucial by Levitsky and Ziblatt, related concept, restraint in exercising legal power, identified as crucial by Levitsky and Ziblatt

Example: Understanding institutional forbearance is crucial in this context.

In the articleVoting is a small part of a larger institutional pattern.

mutual toleration

/ˈmjuːtʃuəl ˌtɒləˈreɪʃən/|mu·tu·al tol·er·a·tion

noun

acceptance of political opponents as legitimate

Synonyms: similar to acceptance of political opponents as legitimate, related concept, acceptance of political opponents as legitimate

Example: Understanding mutual toleration is crucial in this context.

In the articleMutual toleration means accepting political opponents as legitimate even when you strongly disagree with them.

illiberal democracy

/ɪˈlɪbərəl dɪˈmɒkrəsi/|il·lib·er·al de·moc·ra·cy

noun

regimes that hold elections while curtailing democratic norms

Synonyms: similar to regimes that hold elections while curtailing democratic norms, related concept, regimes that hold elections while curtailing democratic norms

Example: Understanding illiberal democracy is crucial in this context.

In the articleCountries that keep the elections but lose the rest become what political scientists now call illiberal democracies or electoral autocracies.

horizontal accountability

/ˌhɒrɪˈzɒntəl əˌkaʊntəˈbɪlɪti/|hor·i·zon·tal ac·count·a·bil·i·ty

noun

checks among branches of government, distinct from electoral accountability

Synonyms: similar to checks among branches of government, distinct from electoral accountability, related concept, checks among branches of government, distinct from electoral accountability

Example: Understanding horizontal accountability is crucial in this context.

In the articlePublic decisions are made by, or under the accountability of, elected representatives.

Figurative Phrases

tear down

destroy deliberately — idiom; 'tear down' figurative

Etymology/Type: Metaphor from physical destruction; "tear" means to rip or forcefully destroy physical structures - applied figuratively to deliberately destroying institutions, ideas, or systems.

Synonyms: dismantle, demolish, erode deliberately

Example: Some critics argued the proposed changes would tear down the institutional norms that made democracy function.

In the articleDemocracy requires the existence of institutions between the individual and the government, and systems that suppress such institutions can hold elections but are not really democratic.

unwritten rules

norms without formal codification — idiom; sometimes actually written

Etymology/Type: Metaphor from documentation; "written" rules exist as text, so "unwritten" rules are norms and expectations that exist but are not formally codified or recorded.

Synonyms: informal norms, tacit expectations, conventions that aren't written down

Example: The unwritten rules of the student council — never undermine a peer publicly — held the group together even in disagreement.

In the articleWhat holds democratic systems together is not just written law but unwritten rules — the norms that actors choose to follow because they believe the system matters.

hollow out

remove substance while keeping form — idiom; not literal

Etymology/Type: Metaphor from food preparation; hollowing a fruit or vegetable removes its interior while keeping the shell intact - applied to removing substance or meaning while maintaining outward form.

Synonyms: gut the substance of, empty out, remove the meaning from

Example: Repeated underfunding had hollowed out the student support services until only the name remained.

In the articleThe more dangerous path is to hollow out democratic norms from within, using legal mechanisms to concentrate power.

check and balance

systemic counterweight — idiom; 'check' not about examination

Etymology/Type: Compound metaphor; "check" comes from accounting (a verification method) and "balance" from physical scales - applied to systems where different powers counterweight each other.

Synonyms: counterweight, limiting mechanism, institutional constraint

Example: The school's review process was designed as a check and balance — no single teacher had final authority over a student's mark.

In the articleEvery check and balance in a democratic system exists because someone, at some point, tried to abuse power.

keep the faith

sustain commitment — idiom; 'faith' secular here

Etymology/Type: Idiom from religious commitment; "faith" originally meant religious belief, but is applied figuratively to sustaining confidence or commitment to secular causes or beliefs.

Synonyms: stay committed, hold firm, maintain belief

Example: Even when progress felt slow, she kept the faith in the process, trusting that consistent effort would eventually show results.

In the articleCountries that keep the elections but lose the rest become what political scientists now call illiberal democracies or electoral autocracies.

beyond the ballot box

beyond voting — idiom; 'ballot box' physical object standing for voting

Etymology/Type: Metonymy; the ballot box stands for the entire voting process and democratic participation - "beyond" it means extending beyond formal democratic voting mechanisms.

Synonyms: beyond formal voting, outside the election, in the space of civic action

Example: The seminar argued that real democratic participation happens beyond the ballot box — in advocacy, community organising, and public debate.

In the articleUnderstanding the larger pattern matters because it makes it possible to notice when democracy is being eroded in countries that still hold elections,

Confusing Words

erosion vs erroneous

These are paronyms—they sound similar, but they mean completely different things: erosion is a gradual process of wearing away, while erroneous simply means 'wrong.'

  • Erosion is the gradual wearing away, breaking down, or deterioration of something over time — usually through repeated small actions rather than one dramatic event. In the context of democracy, democratic erosion refers to the gradual, often legal, weakening of democratic institutions and norms, where bit by bit, rules are bent, checks are weakened, and safeguards erode until democracy becomes fragile.
  • Erroneous means incorrect or wrong — it describes something that contains an error or is based on a mistaken belief. An erroneous statement is simply false. An erroneous assumption is a wrong one. It's about the error itself, not about change or deterioration over time.

Erosion = gradual *wearing away* (process over time). Erroneous = simply *wrong* (a state or quality).

forbearance vs forbidden

These are paronyms that look related but mean opposite things: forbearance is about restraint and holding back, while forbidden means something is not allowed or prohibited.

  • Forbearance is the deliberate choice to exercise restraint — to not do something even though you have the right or power to do it. In the democratic context, institutional forbearance means that leaders have the legal power to do certain things that would help their party or agenda, but they choose not to, because doing so would damage democratic institutions. It's voluntary self-restraint for the sake of the system.
  • Forbidden means prohibited or not allowed — it describes something that is banned, outlawed, or against the rules. If something is forbidden, you cannot do it; it's explicitly disallowed. The rules say no.

Forbearance = *choosing* not to do something you have the right to do. Forbidden = *not allowed* to do it at all (a rule against it).

toleration vs tolerance

These are word-family cousins with a subtle but real difference: toleration is the specific act or practice of tolerating, while tolerance is the capacity or willingness to tolerate.

  • Toleration is the act or practice of tolerating something—putting up with what you disagree with, accepting it in practice. Mutual toleration in democracy means that political opponents accept each other as legitimate even while disagreeing strongly. It's the action of tolerating, the behavior, the practice.
  • Tolerance is the capacity, willingness, or quality of being able to tolerate things — it's more about the internal ability or attitude. Someone with high tolerance can endure disagreement. A tolerant society has the cultural capacity to accept diversity.

Toleration = the *practice* or *action* of tolerating (what you do). Tolerance = the *capacity* or *willingness* (what you have or are like).