Liberal democracies have three core components:
- A democratic system of government (in which leaders are freely and fairly elected by the people)
- Protections for individual rights and liberties (such as freedoms of speech, religion, political association, etc.)
- A strict adherence to the rule of law (the exercise of political power is limited by established laws) 

In a word, liberal democracies are characterized by the decentralization of power. Executive power is limited by checks and balances, separation of powers/federalism, or some combination of these and other institutional mechanisms. Power is further limited by free and fair elections as citizens can vote out leaders they no longer approve of. Independent judiciaries also serve as bulwarks limiting government infringement on individual rights.


Commonly cited examples of liberal democracies include the United States, Germany, Sweden, Japan, and New Zealand.


Liberal Democracy

Democracy means “rule by the people” and involves competitive elections wherein citizens vote to elect representatives. Dahl’s (1998) commonly accepted definition of minimum democracy (or polyarchy) entails six institutions: elected officials; free, fair, and frequent elections; freedom of expression; access to alternative sources of information; associational autonomy (the right to form independent organizations); and inclusive citizenship (including universal suffrage).

Wesleyan University

A regime is the political system of a country, specifically the basic institutions that determine the rules by which a government functions. Comparative political scientists typically distinguish between democracies and autocracies (or authoritarian regimes), though they allow for considerations of hybrid regimes as well. 

Regimes and Regime Types

Dahl, R. A. (1998). On Democracy. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Dahl: On Democracy

Regime Type: Democracy

An autocracy (or authoritarian regime) rejects rule by the people in favor of rule by an individual or a small group of elites. Autocracies can come in many forms, such as monarchy (imperial Britain), totalitarianism (Nazi Germany), single-party rule (contemporary China), or a military junta (contemporary Myanmar/Burma).

Regime Type: Autocracy

Anecdotal analysis of different countries’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic has often pitted major autocracies like China against large democracies like the United States. This common media narrative typically notes how China has been more successful in curbing COVID-19, whereas the United States has struggled to mount an effective federal response to the pandemic. This comparison has led some academics to investigate whether autocracies (or dictatorships) are better at handling crises like COVID-19 than are democracies.

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