Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region I
Division of Ilocos Sur

TRENDS, NETWORKS, AND

CRITICAL THINKING IN
12
THE 21ST CENTURY
LESSON TITLE:

ASSESSING DEMOCRATIC INTERVENTIONS AND

UNDEMOCRATIC PRACTICES

QUARTER: 2 SELF LEARNING KIT #: 2

MELC:
Assess democratic interventions prevailing in political and social
institutions. (HUMSS_MCT12-IIa-c-6)
Formulate a viable alternative to undemocratic practices.
(HUMSS_MCT12-IIa-c-7)

Name of Teacher –Writer: EMMANUEL F. JACOSALEM, PhD.

School: TAGUDIN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
District: TAGUDIN

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Good day learners! Welcome to another opportunity of learning trends,

networks, and critical thinking on the 21 st century culture. You learned in your
previous lesson about the importance of participatory democracy and how it is
differentiated with representative democracy.

This Self-learning kit (SLK) is specially designed for you in order to strengthen
your understanding of the subject specifically on assessing democratic interventions
prevailing in political and social institutions and be able to formulate a viable
alternative to undemocratic practices.

This Self-learning kit is self-directed, you are to work on your own and
responsibly accomplish all the assigned tasks that this module requires you to finish.
There are six parts of the Self-learning kit which you have to follow and go through.
Each part is an important prelude to the next section, avoid skipping any part and
make sure to accomplish task before proceeding to the next. For your guidance,
please take time to read the instructions.

Continue your journey into the world of Trends, Networks, and Critical
Thinking in the 21st Century!

ENJOY the learning experience!

Assess democratic interventions prevailing in political and social

institutions. (HUMSS_MCT12-IIa-c-6)
Formulate a viable alternative to undemocratic practices.
(HUMSS_MCT12-IIa-c-7)

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

1. Identify and explain the democratic interventions
prevailing in political and social institutions.
2. Assess democratic interventions prevailing in political and
social institutions.
3. Formulate a viable alternative to undemocratic practices.

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 Recall the lessons or concepts you have learned in our
previous lesson. Do the activity below to find connection
to our new lesson.

DIRECTIONS: Look for the meaning of the following words. Then click the box of the
word if it is a democratic ideal. Briefly explain on a sheet of paper why you consider it
a democratic ideal by giving situational examples.

1. Participation

2. Demarchy

3. Competition

4. Dissent and debate

5. Parliamentary

In your activity earlier, you may have noticed that all the pictures
given direct you to the word democracy. In this lesson, it is very
important that you have a background study about democracy.

I. DEMOCRATIC INCLINATION OF INSTITUTIONS

Established democratic institutions possess the core elements of elections,

political parties, lawmaking bodies, interest groups, social movements, and mass
media. How free these elements are is a matter of degree just as how democratic a
political or social institution is. Moreover, certain values such as respect for human
rights are human dignity, racial and ethnic equity, equal access to and distribution of
wealth and resources, social justice, fair trial, and other civil liberties and political
rights are considered as indicators of democracy and freedom. Thus, social and

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political institutions that adhere to many, if not all, of these values perceived to be
democratically inclined and their people enjoy a higher degree of freedom.

Usually, it is the government which is subjected to assessment regarding its

quality of democracy or its tendency toward strong adherence to democratic
processes. There are existing research bodies, publications, and agencies
evaluating governments and regimes, each having its own set of criteria.

1. MaxRange is a data set that analyzes political regimes and democratization

processes from the 18th century to the present, making it the largest and most
comprehensive political regime data set in the world today. Its latest version,
MaxRange 2, focuses on seven dimensions:
a. General level of democracy
b. Institutional structure
c. Strength of executive
d. Status of the regime
e. Concentration of powers to the executive
f. Position of the head of state
g. Simplified strength variable

2. Democracy Index is an evaluation of the state of democracy of countries. It is

published by The Economist Intelligence Unit based in the UK. Countries are
rated as either full democracies (with scores of 8-10), flawed democracies (6-
7.9), hybrid regimes (4-5.59), or authoritarian regimes (below 4) based on the
following criteria:
a. Electoral processes and pluralism
b. Functioning of government
c. Civil liberties
d. Political participation
e. Political culture
f. Civil liberties

3. International IDEA which is based on Stockholm, Sweden, evaluates the

country’s quality of democracy. The acronym IDEA stands for International
Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. The structure of its
assessment framework is based on popular control over decision makers,
political equality of those exercising control, and seven mediating values
(citizen participation, authorization of public officials, equal representation of
different groups, accountability of officials, transparency in government,
responsiveness to the needs of the public, and solidarity of the people). These
result in the four main pillars of the framework:
a. Citizenship and law and rights
b. Representative and accountable government
c. Civil society and popular participation
d. Democracy beyond the state

4. Freedom in the World is an annual survey published since 1972 by Freedom

House, an NGO based on the U.S. it ranks countries by political rights and
civil liberties mostly derived from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
in its methodology, the countries are scored on separate categories of political

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 rights and civil liberties of the people. The ratings are then combined to get an
average called freedom rating which notes the status of a country as:
a. “free” (1.0 – 2.5)
b. “partly free” (3.0 – 5.0)
c. “not free” (5.5 – 7.0)

These bodies serve to warn the governments and other sociopolitical

institutions in various countries of the need to be vigilant of their democracies,
as enemies of democracy are just lurking at the sides, ready to attack when
opportunity comes.

The criteria used in the assessment can be sources for the creation of
your own set of criteria in evaluating the democratic or undemocratic tendencies of
social political institutions, especially government.

II. UNDEMOCRATIC PRACTICES IN DEMOCRATOC AND SOCIAL

RELATIONS

Oppressive acts or practices that curtail human rights and obstruct the
exercise of one’s free and sovereign will are undemocratic practices. Their impacts
can be gleaned from various factors.

1. GENDER. One of the oldest areas where inequality, exploitation, and

oppression exist is in gender and sexual identity.
 Gender bias refers to the prejudicial act or attitude towards males or
females
 A matriarchal society is characterized by female rule or female
dominance, including women’s control of property.
 A patriarchal society demonstrates the same unequal treatment
between males and females, this time in favor of the males.

Considering all things equal, a male applicant has a greater chance to

get accepted for a job than a female. Preference and more privileges for the
males are shown not only in terms of employment and family relations but
also in education, sports, profession, and religion. The blatant discrimination
and inequality called for the establishment of gender studies or women
centers in many academic institutions worldwide

2. WEALTH DISTRIBUTION AND POVERTY. The widening gap between the

rich and the poor, the diminishing number of the “haves” and the increasing
number of the “have-nots,” and the widening areas occupied by the homeless
throughout the world are only a few of the negative impacts of undemocratic
practices in income distribution, which is one of the major causes of poverty.
People are deprived of their rights to a decent life and their dignity is trampled
upon when they cannot afford three square meals a day, when they can only
occupy dilapidated shanties, and when their young children grow up in the
streets and work out of necessity instead of studying in school.

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 3. RACE RELATIONS, SUFFRAGE, AND POLITICAL MARGINALIZATION.
Unless revoked by law, every citizen is entitled to exercise suffrage or the
right to vote people to whom he or she entrusts the authority to govern.
However, there are societies and governments that discriminate against
individuals and groups by virtue of ethnicity, race, religion, and socioeconomic
background. Hitler’s racial anti-Semitism that led to the inhuman Holocaust,
the genocide of six million Jews in Europe, is a classic example of
undemocratic race relations and racial inequality. Favoring Americans and
Europeans against Asians due to their color also demonstrates racial
inequality. Racial discrimination still exists in many societies although several
laws have been enacted to abolish it.

4. CULTURAL DOMINATION, REPRESENTATION, AND THE POLITICS OF

RECOGNITION. In a society nestling multicultural, multireligious and multi
populations, domination by major cultural or ethnolinguistic groups over
cultural communities (formerly called minority groups) is not surprising. The
major cultural groups enjoy more government support and priority in terms of
development projects, higher representation in government and private
offices, bigger budgetary allocation, and more seats in the government. They
receive full recognition of their identity as, for instance, Bicolano,
Kapampangan, Bisaya, or Ilocano. The opposite is experienced by those
belonging to cultural communities.

Democracy Index 2019 provides a snapshot of the state of

democracy worldwide for 165 independent states and two
territories. From full democracy through to authoritarian
regime. Find out the full list of country ranks in this site:
https://www.eiu.com/topic/democracy-index

The twelfth edition of the Democracy Index finds that the average global score
has fallen from 5.48 in 2018, to 5.44. This is the worst average global score since
The Economist Intelligence Unit first produced the Democracy Index in 2006. Driven
by sharp regressions in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, four out of the five
categories that make up the global average score have deteriorated. Although there
were some dramatic downturns in the scores of certain countries, others have
bucked the overall trend and registered impressive improvements.
(https://www.eiu.com/topic/democracy-index)

Democracy Index 2019 – PHILIPPINE RANKING

Electora
Functi
l
oning Political Civil
process Political Regime
Rank Country Score of partici- libertie
and culture type
gover pation s
pluralis
nment
m

Flawed
54  Philippines 6.64 9.17 5.36 7.22 4.38 7.06
democracy

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 Democracy Index 2019 – TOP 5

Fu
ncti
Elect o-
Politi
oral nin Civ
cal Politi
proc g il
Ran parti cal Regime
Country Score ess of libe
k ci- cultu type
and gov rtie
patio re
plura er s
n
lism n-
me
nt

1  Norway 9.87 10.00 9.64 10.00 10.00 9.71 Full democracy

2  Iceland 9.58 10.00 9.29 8.89 10.00 9.71 Full democracy
3  Sweden 9.39 9.58 9.64 8.33 10.00 9.41 Full democracy
10.0
4  New Zealand 9.26 10.00 9.29 8.89 8.13 Full democracy
0
5  Finland 9.25 10.00 8.93 8.89 8.75 9.71 Full democracy

Democracy Index 2019 – BOTTOM 5

163  Chad 1.61 0.00 0.00 1.67 3.75 2.65 Authoritarian
164  Syria 1.43 0.00 0.00 2.78 4.38 0.00 Authoritarian

165  Central African 1.32 1.25 0.00 1.11 1.88 2.35 Authoritarian
Republic

166  Dem. Republic of 1.13 0.00 0.00 1.67 3.13 0.88 Authoritarian
the Congo
167  North Korea 1.08 0.00 2.50 1.67 1.25 0.00 Authoritarian

Do the activity below by taking into considerations the concepts

you have learned from this lesson.

PHOTO COLLAGE ACTIVITY

Instructions: Prepare photos and illustrations showing undemocratic practices

related to factors such as gender biases, poverty, political marginalization, racial
inequality, cultural domination, crisis representation and politics of recognition. Write
also a short summary/explanation of your photo collage. Use a clean sheet of long
bond paper for this activity.

Evaluation of your work will be based on:

a. Content - 10 pts
b. Graphics - 5 pts

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 c. Language - 5 pts Total: 20 points

In this module, you learned that whether political

institutions and governments are democratic or less
democratic can be assessed through certain sets of criteria
formulated by political scientists and political watchers. Some
of these assessment and evaluation entities serve as
watchdogs of democracy.
You also learned that democracy can be abused; thus,
there is a need for vigilance in guarding it against politics and
media. Politicians with self-interests as their primary concern
must be prevented from occupying seats of power and
leadership. The same thing goes with media people who are
beholden to corrupt politicians also in the name of self-interest.

This is the part of the lesson where knowledge or concepts

meet action. In here you are going to apply what you have
learned through a situation analysis. Read carefully the
instruction before proceeding with the activity.

Activity 1: Assessing Democratic Intervention

Situation:
A democratic intervention is a military intervention by external forces with the
aim of assisting democratization of the country where the intervention takes place.
Classical examples of which include intervention in Afghanistan (2001-present), and
Iraq (2003-2002). Democratic intervention is where democracy was imposed by
military intervention. Democratic intervention can be facilitated by the mechanisms of
military aggression but can also involve non-aggressive methods.

What to do: (Use a separate sheet of paper)

1. Do a research and list the positive effects or gains and negatives effects
or criticisms of democratic intervention.
2. Give your honest assessment and stand by weighing in on the positive and
negatives effects of democratic intervention.

Rubric:
CRITERIA DESCRIPTION POINTS
The student was able to present the positive and negative effects of
Content 10
democratic intervention and assess its importance.
Analysis Analysis was clear and concise based on the data presented. 6
Organizatio
The paper was well-written with ideas easily conveyed to readers. 4
n

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 Total 20

Activity 2: “My way of democratic intervention”

Directions: Reflect on the given question below. Write your answer on a separate
sheet of paper.

How can you personally contribute in safeguarding and sustaining democracy in

the Philippines?

Rubric:
CRITERIA DESCRIPTION POINTS
The student was able to present viable ways on how to safeguard
Content 10
democracy in the country.
Analysis Analysis was clear and concise based on the data presented. 6
Organizatio
The paper was well-written with ideas easily conveyed to readers. 4
n
Total 20

I. IDENTIFICATION. Write the word/words being defined in each item. write your
answer on the space before the number.

_________________ 1. This refers to the prejudicial act or attitude toward males or

females.
_________________ 2. A form of discrimination against individuals and groups on
the basis of ethnicity, race, religion, and socioeconomic
background.
_________________ 3. This occurs when major cultural groups or communities
enjoy
more government support and priority.
_________________ 4. A data set that analyzes political regimes and
democratization
processes from the 18th century to the present.
_________________ 5. An assessment body that rates the state of democracy of
countries as either full democracies, flawed democracies,
hybrid regimes, and authoritarian regimes.

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II. TRUE OR FALSE. Write TRUE on the blank if the statement is correct. Write
FALSE if it is incorrect.

_____________ 1. Mass movements can replace a weak legislature.

_____________ 2. There is a need to educate the citizen of their political rights and
civil liberties.
_____________ 3. Disagreements and conflicts are unhealthy for a democracy.
_____________ 4. Fairness and formulation of policies are expected from a
democratic government.
_____________ 5. A proper balance between individual liberty and national security
should be observed by the government.

A. Book
Dela Cruz, R. & Dela Cruz, R. (2017). Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking Skills
in the 21st Century. Phoenix Publishing House Inc.: Quezon City.

Urgel, Elizabeth T. (2017). Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking Skills

in the 21st Century Culture. Diwa Learning Systems Inc. Makati City:
Philippines.

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