Democracy
According to the Australian Parliamentary Education Office:
A democratic country has a system of government in which the people have the power to participate in decision-making. Such a country also has four key components:
- Active and engaged citizens
- An inclusive and equitable society
- Free and franchised elections
- The rule of law for both citizens and the government.
More information on Democracy can be found in our Mapping Social Cohesion Report.
Democracy Index (DI)
A Democracy Index (DI)* was newly developed for this project with the help of the Social Research Centre. Based on Mapping Social Cohesion survey data, the DI aims to measure confidence in institutions and political participation. For example, it includes data on trust in government as well as electoral participation.
To learn more about the current DI used for this tool refer to Appendix 3.
Social Cohesion
To the Institute, social cohesion is not about having diversity but about how the community operates together in a diverse society. To this end, Dick Stanley’s concise definition, “the willingness of members of society to cooperate with each other in order to survive and prosper”, is a standard the Institute supports.
Scanlon - Monash Index (SMI)
The Scanlon-Monash Index of Social Cohesion (SMI) provides an overview of the five core domains of social cohesion: Belonging, Worth, Social Inclusion and Justice, Participation, and Acceptance and Rejection.
Program Components
The tool provides guidance on the elements that should underpin social cohesion and democratic resilience programs. More information on these can be found in the Appendix 5.