Democracy & Participation

What are the criteria for democracy

• The people have influence (direct or indirect) over political decisions

• Government and elected bodies are held accountable to the people

• Government should operate within the rule of law + government is subject to the same laws as the people - independent judiciary

• Elections should be held regularly & there should be universal adult suffrage (voting)

• People should be free to form political parties to stand for elective office

• The transition of power from one government to another must be peaceful

• People should have access to independent information and opinion (media)

• The rights and freedoms for the people should be respected by the govt

What are the characteristics of a representative democracy

• People elect representatives to make political decisions on their behalf

• Regular elections

• Representative assemblies: parliaments, assemblies and councils

• Govt accountable to the people Government should

• Parties campaign to be able to represent people in government

• Pressure groups operate, representing sections of society

What is pluralism

• Power is widely dispersed among the people and among sections of society - not concentrated in a few hands

• Key feature of a liberal democracy

What are the features of a direct democracy

• People make important political decisions themselves

• This whole system has been used in classical Greece

• Modern: Direct democracy uses initiatives and referendums

• E.g 2016 UK wide referendum

What are the advantages of direct democracy

• Purest form of democracy

  • The peoples voice is heard first hand, unfiltered by an intermediary thereby increasing its legitimacy

• Can avoid delay and deadlock within a political system

  • When representative democracy can’t come to a decision

• Encourages greater individual citizen responsibility for political decision making, leading to greater civic engagement

• Greater turnout as every vote is of equal value compared to the safe seats of representative democracy

What are the disadvantages of a direct democracy

• It can lead to a ‘tyranny of the majority’ whereby the winning majority simply ignores the interests of the minority and imposes something detrimental on them

  • E.g. EU referendum - ~52% leave, 48% remain - allows for the majority to trample the interests of the minority

• The people may be to easily swayed by the short term, emotional appeals by charismatic individuals

  • People may also not be well educated enough on an issue to vote on it

• It overly simplifies complex issues into a un-nuanced binary choice, which can result in flawed political decision-making

What are the advantages of a representative democracy

• In a large modern country is it the only practical way to translate public opinion into political action

• Representatives have the time to deal with a variety of complex matters, leaving the public free to get on with their own lives

• Representatives can develop expertise to deal with the matters the public doesn’t have the time or knowledge to deal with

• Representatives can be held to account for their actions at election time

What are the disadvantages of a representative democracy

• It can be difficult to hold a representative to count between elections

• Allowing voters to delegate responsibility to representatives can lead to the public disengaging from social issues and other responsibilities

• Representative bodies can be unrepresentative and may ignore the concerns and needs of minority groups

• Representatives may not act in the best interests of their constituents

What are the different types of representation

• Social representation

• Representing the national interest

• Constituency representation

• Party representation and government representation

• Sectional representation

• Casual representation

Pressure (interest group) representation

What is social representation

• The composition of representative assemblies should be close to a microcosm of society

• If not then political decisions may favour elite interests not the wider interests of society and a pluralist democracy

What is national representation

As MP’s are elected locally for constituents, their decisions may conflict with decisions best for the country