Autocracy vs. democracy

Autocracy vs. democracy is a term that is used to compare two forms of government. In short, governing power in an autocracy is concentrated around one individual with limited or no checks and balances on that person’s authority. In contrast, democracies grant governing authority to the people or to governing officials through free elections.

In a previous edition of the President’s Desk Newsletter, Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal identified pluralism as one of democracy's essential virtues. This is one of the many differences between autocracy and democracy. The ability for diversity of thought, motivation, lifestyles, and more to coexist within a political body is indispensable to democracy. He goes on to write: "For democracy to be an ethical standard, it must remain open, unfinished, and constantly evolving."

It can be tempting to weigh the pros and cons of both autocracy and democracy, but former Carnegie Council Senior Fellow and current AIEI Board Advisor Jean-Marie Guéhenno argues that "just thinking in the old categories of democracies versus autocracies misses all the new challenges that our institutions have to face today." Learn more about Guéhenno’s reasoning by listening to the podcast below. Explore essays and articles analyzing the state of democracy from Carnegie Council's quarterly Ethics & International Affairs journal and check out other articles and podcasts from Carnegie Council’s experts below.