Click on a triad to explore the foundational, procedural, and substantive dimensions
Dimension Types
Foundational: Condition giving
Procedural: Process driven
Substantive: Capacity to act
⚖️Triad 1: Core Democratic Framework
Rule of Law
Participation
Freedom
🔍Triad 2: Accountability Chain
Rule of Law
Horizontal Accountability
Vertical Accountability
🎯Triad 3: Political Contest
Freedom
Competition
Participation
🤝Triad 4: Democratic Inclusion
Rule of Law
Participation
Equality
📢Triad 5: Responsive Governance
Vertical Accountability
Competition
Responsiveness
⚖️ Triad 1: Core Democratic Framework
Rule of Law
Foundational
Establishes the constitutional foundation that enables citizens to participate. Creates the legal framework and stability necessary for democratic processes to function. Without rule of law, democratic participation becomes arbitrary or meaningless.
Participation
Procedural
The mechanisms, rules, and structures through which citizens engage in democratic processes. Defines what we do and what procedures we follow. Made possible by rule of law, but depends on freedom to be genuine.
Freedom
Substantive
The actual ability and capacity to act without restriction. Determines whether participation is genuine or coerced. Encompasses political freedoms like speech, assembly, and association that make meaningful democratic engagement possible.
🔍 Triad 2: Accountability Chain
Rule of Law
Foundational
Establishes that power is constrained and that all actors, including government officials, are subject to legal limits. Creates the constitutional framework within which accountability mechanisms operate.
Horizontal Accountability
Procedural
The institutional mechanisms through which state agencies check and balance each other. Includes legislative oversight, judicial review, and regulatory bodies. These are the structured processes that prevent abuse of power.
Vertical Accountability
Substantive
Citizens' actual capacity to hold leaders accountable through elections, public pressure, and civic action. Represents the real-world ability of the public to sanction or reward political actors based on their performance.
🎯 Triad 3: Political Contest
Freedom
Foundational
Creates the fundamental space for political alternatives to exist. Without freedom of speech, assembly, and organisation, genuine political competition cannot emerge. Enables the formation of opposition parties and movements.
Competition
Procedural
The structured processes and rules for contesting power through elections and political struggle. Includes electoral systems, party registration, campaign regulations, and the framework within which political rivals compete.
Participation
Substantive
Citizens' real ability to engage meaningfully in political contests. Represents the actual capacity to vote, campaign, organise, and influence outcomes within the competitive political system.
🤝 Triad 4: Democratic Inclusion
Rule of Law
Foundational
Establishes equal treatment under law and legal protections for all citizens. Creates the constitutional guarantee that democratic processes are accessible to everyone, regardless of social position or identity.
Participation
Procedural
The mechanisms and procedures for including all citizens in decision-making processes. Encompasses voting rights, consultation processes, and formal channels through which different groups can engage in governance.
Equality
Substantive
The actual capacity of all citizens to participate effectively in democratic life. Goes beyond formal equality to address whether economic, social, and educational disparities prevent genuine equal voice in the political system.
📢 Triad 5: Responsive Governance
Vertical Accountability
Foundational
Establishes that leaders must answer to citizens for their political decisions. Creates the principle that elected officials are obligated to explain their actions and can be sanctioned through elections and civic pressure.
Competition
Procedural
The structured processes and incentive mechanisms that pressure leaders to be responsive. Electoral competition creates accountability through the threat of replacement, motivating officials to attend to citizen preferences.
Responsiveness
Substantive
Government's actual capacity to translate citizen preferences into policies and outcomes. Requires not just accountability mechanisms but also bureaucratic competence to implement what citizens demand through the democratic process.