As with any complex social or political concept, “democracy” is not an easy thing to pin down. Within the literature focused on the study of democracy, a number of different definitions have been offered. Bollen (1979) notes that previous research on political democracy involves two different dimensions: 1) popular sovereignty and 2) political liberties.

Popular sovereignty addresses the structure of the political apparatus. In political democracy, elites must be accountable to non-elites, most commonly through elections, and the system must have wide franchise, equal weighting of votes, and fair electoral processes. Hewitt (1977) offers a definition of democracy focused entirely on popular sovereignty. He notes three aspects of democracy: 1) elected chief executive, 2) universal manhood sufferage, and 3) “fair” elections as represented by a secret ballot. Note that these three do not include any mention of political liberties, only the structural and institutional aspects of the poltical apparatus. Ruschemeyer, Stephens, and Stephens (1992) also note the importance of state responsibility to an elected legislature, in the form of a parliament with a prime minister or a congress with directly elected executive.

Political liberties refers to the specific rights of individual citizens within a political system. For political democracies this usually means rights to free speech, a free press, and the right to organize against any officeholder or policies. Gerhardt Lenski (1966) offers a definition that addresses both popular sovereignty and political liberties, also with three main aspects: 1) universal adult sufferage, 2) the right of political opposition, and 3) the right of disadvantaged groups to organize on their own behalf.