NCERT Solutions For Class 10 Political Science: Outcomes Of Democracy

Question 1: How does democracy produce an accountable, responsive and legitimate government?

Answer-
Democracy ensures an accountable, responsive, and legitimate government through the following ways:
1.$\underline{\text{Accountability}}$: Democracy ensures that people have the $\underline{\text{right to choose their rulers}}$ and $\underline{\text{control over the rulers}}$. Decisions are based on $\underline{\text{norms and procedures}}$, allowing citizens the $\underline{\text{right and means to examine the process of decision making}}$, which is known as $\underline{\text{transparency}}$. It must develop $\underline{\text{mechanisms for citizens to hold the government accountable}}$.
2. $\underline{\text{Responsiveness}}$: Citizens should be able to $\underline{\text{participate in decision making}}$ that affects them all. The government is expected to be $\underline{\text{attentive to the needs and expectations of the citizens}}$. It must develop $\underline{\text{mechanisms for citizens to take part in decision making}}$ whenever they think fit.
3. $\underline{\text{Legitimacy}}$: A democratic government is considered $\underline{\text{legitimate government}}$ because it is $\underline{\text{people’s own government}}$. Even if it is slow, less efficient, or not always responsive, there is $\underline{\text{overwhelming support}}$ for the idea of democracy because people wish to be $\underline{\text{ruled by representatives elected by them}}$.

Question 2: What are the conditions under which democracies accommodate social diversities?

Answer-
For a democracy to successfully accommodate social differences, divisions, and conflicts, it must fulfill two essential conditions:
1.Democracy must not be simply $\underline{\text{rule by majority opinion}}$. The $\underline{\text{majority always needs to work with the minority}}$ so that governments function to represent the $\underline{\text{general view}}$.
2. Rule by majority must $\underline{\text{not become rule by majority community}}$ in terms of religion, race, or linguistic group. Democracy remains accommodative only as long as $\underline{\text{every citizen has a chance of being in majority at some point of time}}$.

Question 3: Give arguments to support or oppose the following assertions:
1. Industrialised countries can afford democracy but the poor need dictatorship to become rich.
2. Democracy can’t reduce inequality of incomes between different citizens.
3. Government in poor countries should spend less on poverty reduction, health, education and spend more on industries and infrastructure.
4. In democracy all citizens have one vote, which means that there is absence of any domination and conflict.

Answer-
1. Industrialised countries can afford democracy but the poor need dictatorship to become rich.
$\underline{\text{Oppose}}$: Evidence shows that the difference in the $\underline{\text{rates of economic development}}$ between less developed countries with dictatorships and democracies is $\underline{\text{negligible}}$. Therefore, democracy is not a guarantee of economic development, but it is not a guarantee of failure either. It is better to prefer democracy because it offers $\underline{\text{several other positive outcomes}}$ like $\underline{\text{dignity and freedom}}$.

2. Democracy can’t reduce inequality of incomes between different citizens.
$\underline{\text{Support}}$: In actual life, democracies $\underline{\text{do not appear to be very successful in reducing economic inequalities}}$. Despite being based on $\underline{\text{political equality}}$, democracies experience $\underline{\text{growing economic inequalities}}$, where a $\underline{\text{small number of ultra-rich}}$ enjoy a highly $\underline{\text{disproportionate share of wealth and incomes}}$ while those at the bottom often $\underline{\text{find it difficult to meet their basic needs}}$.

3. Government in poor countries should spend less on poverty reduction, health, education and spend more on industries and infrastructure.
$\underline{\text{Oppose}}$: Although economic development depends partly on infrastructure, it also depends on factors like $\underline{\text{economic priorities adopted by the country}}$. If the poor constitute a $\underline{\text{large proportion of our voters}}$, the government has an expectation to address their basic needs like $\underline{\text{food, clothing, house, education and health}}$. Ignoring poverty reduction would undermine the democratic principle of $\underline{\text{just distribution of goods and opportunities}}$.

4. In democracy all citizens have one vote, which means that there is absence of any domination and conflict.
$\underline{\text{Oppose}}$: While democracy promotes $\underline{\text{political equality}}$ (one vote for every individual), conflicts still arise because individuals feel they are $\underline{\text{not treated with due respect}}$. Democracy handles conflicts by $\underline{\text{developing a procedure to conduct their competition}}$ and $\underline{\text{mechanisms to negotiate the differences}}$, but it $\underline{\text{cannot fully and permanently resolve conflicts}}$ among different groups.

Question 4: Identify the challenges to democracy in the following descriptions. Also suggest policy/institutional mechanism to deepen democracy in the given situations:
1. Following a High Court directive, a temple in Orissa that had separate entry doors for dalits and non-dalits allowed entry for all from the same door.
2. A large number of farmers are committing suicide in different states of India.
3. Following an allegation of killing of three civilians in Gandwara in a fake encounter by Jammu and Kashmir police, an enquiry has been ordered.

Answer-
1. Temple Entry:
Challenge: The challenge is the persistence of $\underline{\text{caste-based inequalities and atrocities}}$, which undermines the democratic goal of promoting $\underline{\text{dignity and freedom of the individual}}$ and ensuring $\underline{\text{equal status and equal opportunity}}$.
Mechanism: The $\underline{\text{Judiciary}}$ (High Court directive) acts as an institutional mechanism to enforce the principle of $\underline{\text{equal treatment before law}}$ and strengthen the $\underline{\text{legal and moral foundations}}$ against discrimination.

2. Farmer Suicides:
Challenge: The challenge is the failure of democracy to $\underline{\text{reduce economic disparities}}$ and address $\underline{\text{economic inequalities}}$. It demonstrates a government that is $\underline{\text{not attentive to the needs and demands}}$ of a majority of its population.
Mechanism: Deepening democracy requires the government to be $\underline{\text{attentive}}$ to these needs and implement policies to ensure a $\underline{\text{just distribution of goods and opportunities}}$ and actively address the $\underline{\text{question of poverty}}$.

3. Fake Encounter Allegation:
Challenge: The challenge lies in the lack of $\underline{\text{accountability}}$ of the power holders and the potential for abuse of power (not being "clean" or "responsive"). This undermines the constitutional guarantee of $\underline{\text{freedom and dignity of the individual}}$.
Mechanism: Ordering an $\underline{\text{enquiry}}$ serves as a mechanism to $\underline{\text{hold the government accountable}}$ and utilize the room allowed in democracy to $\underline{\text{correct mistakes}}$. This upholds the rule of law and $\underline{\text{transparency}}$.

Question 5: In the context of democracies, which of the following ideas is correct– democracies have successfully eliminated:
A. conflicts among people
B. economic inequalities among people
C. differences of opinion about how marginalised sections are to be treated
D. the idea of political inequality

Answer-
D. $\underline{\text{the idea of political inequality}}$.

Question 6: In the context of assessing democracy, which among the following is the odd one out. Democracies need to ensure:
A. free and fair elections
B. dignity of the individual
C. majority rule
D. equal treatment before law

Answer-
C. $\underline{\text{majority rule}}$. (While majority decisions are necessary, democracy requires that majority rule $\underline{\text{works with the minority}}$ and $\underline{\text{does not become rule by majority community}}$).

Question 7: Studies on political and social inequalities in democracy show that:
A. democracy and development go together.
B. inequalities exist in democracies.
C. inequalities do not exist under dictatorship.
D. dictatorship is better than democracy.

Answer-
B. $\underline{\text{inequalities exist in democracies}}$. (Democracies, despite $\underline{\text{political equality}}$, show $\underline{\text{growing economic inequalities}}$).

Question 8: Read the passage below: Nannu is a daily wage earner. He lives in Welcome Mazdoor Colony, a slum habitation in East Delhi. He lost his ration card and applied for a duplicate one in January 2004. He made several rounds to the local Food and Civil Supplies office for the next three months. But the clerks and officials would not even look at him, leave alone do his job or bother to tell him the status of his application. Ultimately, he filed an application under the Right to Information Act asking for the daily progress made on his application, names of the officials, who were supposed to act on his application and what action would be taken against these officials for their inaction. Within a week of filing application under the Right to Information Act, he was visited by an inspector from the Food Department, who informed him that the card had been made and he could collect it from the office. When Nannu went to collect his card next day, he was given a very warm treatment by the Food and Supply Officer (FSO), who is the head of a Circle. The FSO offered him tea and requested him to withdraw his application under the Right to Information, since his work had already been done.
What does Nannu’s example show? What impact did Nannu’s action have on officials?

Answer-
Nannu's example shows that:
1.Democracies often $\underline{\text{frustrate the needs of the people}}$ and may not be $\underline{\text{very responsive or clean}}$ in their actual functioning. The officials failed to be $\underline{\text{attentive to the needs and demands}}$ of a citizen for three months.
2. It demonstrates the success of institutional mechanisms like the $\underline{\text{Right to Information Act}}$ in creating $\underline{\text{transparency}}$. This right empowers citizens to $\underline{\text{examine the process of decision making}}$ and force the government to become $\underline{\text{accountable}}$.

The impact Nannu’s action had on officials was immediate:
1.The officials became $\underline{\text{responsive}}$ and performed the necessary work within a week, indicating that the delay was due to bureaucratic indifference, not inefficiency.
2. The FSO's request to $\underline{\text{withdraw the application}}$ and sudden $\underline{\text{warm treatment}}$ shows that officials fear the $\underline{\text{scrutiny}}$ that mechanisms like RTI impose, as they demand accountability regarding the $\underline{\text{procedures}}$ and actions taken.