Constitutional Democracy: Assessment Method

Many modern regimes measure their evolution by whether they are democracies, but how do we assess these forms of government? In Constitutional Democracy, Victor Catalin explores how to evaluate the level or stage of democratization of various nations. His method is based on constitutional democracy, in other words, on measurement of the democracy level that a state disposes by its constitution. In proposing how to assess forms of democracy, he examines past forms of government, from the Athenian democracy that evolved in the fifth century B.C., which marked the first appearance of direct democracy, to ancient Rome where important decisions were made by plebiscite, up to modern times. By furthering a comprenehsive discussion of the history and development of democracies throughout the world, including those that make up the member states of the European Union, he reveals similarities and differences between today s world democracies and how we can use this knowledge to improve governments.