Here's one persons list of how different authors define the term:
- Click here for it.
And here's his description of how the term can be defined:
. . . actual definitions of democracy come in all shapes and sizes. . . . Each emphasizes one or more things thought to be true about democracy: 1) it is a dangerous form of government; 2) it includes genuine competition for power; 3) it permits mass participation on a legally equal footing; 4) it provides civil and other liberties that restrict the sphere of state power within the society; or 5) it promotes widespread deliberation about how to make and enforce policy so as to promote the common good.
