Robert Dahl is known for his extensive literature on politics and democratic principles. His work “On Democracy” addresses several questions. For example, the definition of ideal democracy as a political system that advocates social and political equity at all levels. Additionally, it focuses on the idea of ​​ideal democracy. According to Dahl, no country in the world has yet reached the threshold of an ideal democratic society. According to him, to acquire the ideal meaning of democracy, there is a certain set of criteria that countries must strive to meet. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay For example, there should be effective participation of all citizens in matters of public interest. This should include equal access to opportunities and the freedom to voluntarily pursue one's social preferences without fear of reprisal. Furthermore, society must ensure that every right to vote is protected, regardless of the voter's social status. Ideally, the opposite happens even in self-declared democracies like the United States, where allegations of electoral fraud have already been made. Furthermore, society must provide all citizens with equal opportunities to assert what is best for them and to determine those things that would best serve their interests. This should manifest itself in an immediate government response to mass protests or political activism aimed at exerting influence. At the beginning of Dahl's book, he answers the question "what is democracy?" » He listed five criteria that must be met for a country to be recognized as fully democratic. Implementing all of these criteria would mean that an "ideal" democracy has been established, but Dahl states that it is impractical to hope for a perfect democracy given the realities of the world in which we live. The criteria are as follows: Equal and effective participation in political life. express views and preferences on policy Equal and effective opportunity to vote on policy making where all votes are counted equally Equal and effective opportunity for citizens to learn about alternative policies and their consequences potentialEqual and effective opportunity for each citizen to determine how, and who, political issues should be placed on the political agenda. Equal opportunity for all adult permanent residents of a polity to have full rights on the first four criteria listed above. Dahl compares ancient republics and democracies, pointing out that they are both close to the same thing in that they are only forms of popular government. The Romans chose the word "republic" and the Greeks the word "democracy", although they both had very similar governments. Both lacked elected representatives, locally elected popular governments answering to a national government, and both were presided over by a minority of people. Finally, most were generally men of some means. Non-owners, women and minorities were not part of the process. In 1956, Dahl coined the term "polyarchy", defining it as a government of the many. He says he uses the term as a reference to any "large-scale democratic government, in a nation-state or country" that has six criteria. These are: Elected officials Free, fair and frequent elections Freedom of expression Alternative sources of information Associative autonomy.