Representative democracy

Representative democracy

citizens vote for an individual to represent them in the making of laws and political decisions.

How representative democracy works

Elected representatives from organised parties make the decisions on the behalf of their voters.

Regular elections give representatives authority and make the system legitimate.

Representative democracy in UK

The UK is a representative democracy. MPs are elected to Parliament by the electorate in the general election.

MPs in the UK are accountable to the citizens who have voted for them.

Political power in the UK is mainly held by representatives, not the public.

Members of parliament

General elections involve voters voting for a candidate to represent their local area, called a constituency.

There are 650 constituencies in the UK, so 650 representatives are voted for by citizens. The winning candidates gain a ‘seat’ in the House of Commons.

These representatives act on behalf of their constituency in parliament

Uk general elections

General elections take place every five years in May

Parliament can decide to hold an election earlier, by voting to support a motion of no confidence in the Government, or by voting by a two-thirds majority in favour of a general election.

2024 general election

Labour won 33.7% votes

Turnout was 59.7% - lowest since 1918

Laws

The way in which MPs vote on laws in Parliament can be based on representing the views of their constituents

Laws (Brexit example)

MPs Ken Clarke and Anna Soubry voted in favour of giving Parliament a vote on any Brexit deal which is reached, representing their constituents and going against the Conservative Party.

Advantages of representative democracy - expertise

Representatives are better informed to make important political decisions as they often have greater expertise and knowledge than most of the population.

The public can be educated on public policy and current political issues.

Advantages of representative democracy - representation (accounted )

Representatives can make sure that all in society are accounted for.

Representatives can protect the interests of minority groups better than the majority of the population can when voting.

Advantages of representative democracy - representation ( polices proposals)

Representatives can put together the interests and demands of voters and make policy proposals that work best for everyone.

Voters in direct democracies may have lots of different demands and difficulty comes when those decisions have to be enacted.

Advantages of representative democracy - accountability

The public and institutions can hold representatives accountable for their decisions.

In direct democracies, it is harder to hold the people as a whole accountable.

Advantages of representative democracy - practicality

Citizens cannot be expected to always make decisions and so the election of representatives acting on their behalf is more practical and beneficial.

Disadvantages of representative democracy - participation

If few people participate in the election of representative, the representatives will not accurately reflect those they represent in parliament

Example low participation

Turnout for EU Parliament elections in the UK was 35.6% in 2014 and as a result, more marginal and radical parties have seats.

UKIP won 26.6% of the UK popular vote in the European Parliament, but at the 2015 general election only won 12.6% of the vote.

Disadvantages of representation democracy- descriptive

A parliament may not have descriptive representation (where the representatives share characteristics with their constituents).

29% of MPs are privately educated, but only 7% of the UK is.

Disadvantages of representation democracy- substantive

A parliament may not have substantive representation (where the representatives advocate on behalf of certain groups).

David Cameron pushed through legislation to legalise gay marriage in the UK, despite not being gay.

Disadvantages of representative democracy- self-interest

.Representatives may choose to act in their own best interest, or in the best interest of a select few constituents, rather than all of them.

Delegates vs trustees

Representatives can either act as delegates, and express the view of those they represent, or as trustees.

Representatives acting as trustees have more freedom to choose actions they think will be best for their constituents.

If a representative is acting as a trustee, but voters wish for them to be a delegate, they may not be accurately representing the wishes of their voters.