The Polarities of Democracy
The Polarities of Democracy is a political theoretical framework developed by Dr. William Benet to help build healthy, sustainable, and just communities.[1][2]
The polarities of democracy notion presents a unifying theory of democracy with practical applications for advancing democratic workplaces and society.[3] The theory promotes participatory practices that allow all cadres of citizens and organizations in communities to turn loose their creativity and strengthen their capacity for both social change and research initiatives that promote social and environmental justice and responsibility.[4]
Development[edit]
The Polarities of Democracy theory was developed by Dr. William Benet through his doctoral and post-doctoral theoretical research at the University of Toronto from 2006-2012.[5][6] Subsequent research on the topic is still ongoing since 2013 to present at the University of Toronto, Walden University,[3] and the Institute for Polarities of Democracy in Washington, DC.[4]
The principal values[edit]
In constructing his notion of Polarities of Democracy theory, Dr. William Benet applied Dr. Barry Johnson’s Polarity Thinking as his conceptual framework.[3][7] According to Dr Benet, The polarities of democracy presents a unifying theory of democracy to guide healthy, sustainable, and just social change efforts.[5]
The research opines that democracy requires ten values, each of which is essential, but none of which are sufficient by themselves.[5] The 10 values are organized as five polarity pairs: "freedom and authority", "justice and due process", "diversity and equality", "human rights and communal obligations", and "participation and representation".[3]
To seek greater democratization, people living in democratic settings ought to effectively leverage each pair of values by maximizing the positive aspects and minimizing the negative aspects of each pole.[3]
Application[edit]
The Polarities of Democracy theory is now being used by doctoral students and graduates in Walden University and around the world to make the promise of democracy a reality for all people in various countries that practice democracy.[1]
A compilation of all of the research completed to date using the Polarities of Democracy has been established by the Walden Center for Social Change. The Polarities of Democracy Collection is housed at the Walden University Library.[1]
Institute for Polarities of Democracy[edit]
The Institute for Polarities of Democracy is a Washington, DC based 501(c)(3) organization that supports the academic theory of The Polarities of Democracy created by Dr. William Benet.[8]
The institute carries out the post-doctoral application of the Polarities of Democracy theory.[9] It equips a cadre of post-doctoral scholar/practitioners with the tools and skills to apply the theory to real world social problems on a global basis.[10]
See also[edit]
- Democracy
- Criticism of democracy
- History of democracy
- Types of democracy
- Representative democracy
- Democracy promotion
- Democracy indices
- Democratization
- Liberal democracy
Further reading[edit]
Polarities of Democracy Publications & Presentations[edit]
- Benet, W. J. (2012, June 12). Managing the polarities of democracy: A social economy framework for healthy, sustainable, and just communities [Paper presentation]. The Association for Social Economics 14th World Congress, University of Glasgow, Scotland.
- Benet, W. J. (2006). The polarity management model of workplace democracy (Doctoral dissertation, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto, Canada). ProQuest, UMI Dissertations Publishing, NR15724.
- Benet, W. J. (2022). The polarities of democracy from conception to execution. The Journal of Democracy & Peacebuilding 1(1), 23-28.
- Benet, W. J., & McMillan, J. (2021). Anti-Racism Initiative phase one analysis. The Institute for Polarities of Democracy.
- McMillan, J., Benet, W.J., & Bryant, M. (2023, July 21-25). 21st Century Community Policing through the lens of Polarities of Democracy [Conference Session]. National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives 47th Annual Conference, Cleveland, OH, United States.
- McMillan, J. A., Smith, J. D., & Benet, W. J. (2023). Civilian oversight of police through the lens of polarities of democracy. Journal of Sustainable Social Change, 15(1), 42–60.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Polarities Of Democracy Collection". scholarworks.waldenu.edu. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ↑ "The Principles of Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Leveraging Democratic Polarities". papers.ssrn.com. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Bill Benet, PhD,"The Polarities of Democracy from Conception to Execution". dpaceinitiative.org. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Polarities + Democracy". instituteforpod.org. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Managing The Polarities of Democracy: A Theoretical Framework for Positive Social Change". scholarworks.waldenu.edu. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ↑ Gene Moran,"The Polarities of Democracy: Applying a Theoretical Lens". taylorfrancis.com. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ↑ William J. Benet,"Managing The Polarities of Democracy: A Theoretical Framework for Positive Social Change". semanticscholar.org. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ↑ "About the Institute". instituteforpod.org. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ↑ "The Institute & NOBLE Anti-Racism Initiative" (PDF). instituteforpod.org. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ↑ "Implementing 21st Century Policing For Community Success Through The Lens Of Polarities Of Democracy". nationalacademies.org. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
