Types of Political Participation

Community Participation

The existence of common economic, political, and social activities; citizens contribute to communal goals.

Citizen Participation

There is a necessity for citizens to be naturally interested in politics. It is a concept of democracy that has survived throughout contemporary (and liberal) democracies.

Assumptions of the task in intervening with decisions that regard public issues.

Political Participation

An active and engaging process with the government process involving individual and groups. Citizens may be one may be a member of a party or pressure group, but play no active role in the organization. It encompasses both involvement in decision making and acts of opposition.

Protest Participation

A type of citizen behavior that observes actions such as social lobbying in political settings.

Social Participation

A type of citizen behavior that observes public hearings and surveys hosted by and involving citizens.

Electoral Participation

A type of citizen behavior that observes the act of campaigning for preferred political candidates and voting.

Obligatory Participation

A type of citizen behavior that observes paying of taxes and performing of mandated roles.

Liberal Democracy

This is a constitution of bodies made up of specialized representatives.

Based on formal equality; one head is equated to one vote.

Often bureaucratized, with prioritization in decision making.

Participatory Democracy

Related to direct democracy as it insists on the necessity of bringing decisions as close to the people as possible. This posits strong constraints on the principle of delegation since this is seen as an instrument of oligarchic power. It underlines the need to create the conditions for real equality.

Indirect Democracy

It is when citizens are too passionate and selfish, or too passive and apathetic; when they lack ‘rationality’ to participate directly. The size and complexity of the public sector make this unrealistic as technical, political, and administrative skills are needed to manage public affairs effectively.

Direct Democracy

The more citizens participate in increasing number of arenas, the more citizens are likely to become more capable, increasing collective decision. This leads towards better decision making as it facilitates social stability by developing a sense of community and is essential for the ongoing development of democratic values and skills among individuals.

Partial Participation

The final power of decision rests with the management, the workers if they are able to participate, being able only to influence that decision.

Full Participation

A process where each individual member of a decision-making body has equal power to determine the outcome of decisions.

Participatory Democracy

Increasing participation by the excluded is necessary to introduce new and important issues into the political debate. This creates the need for citizens to self-organize.

Associational Democracy

This produces social solidarity, contributing to the democratic socialization of the citizens and the production of social goods.

Ancient Athens

This emerged with the rise of a revolutionary political system of direct democracy but had the exclusion in citizenry. The exercise of freedom of speech, while free, was driven towards unity and consensus. Its practice of citizenship declined with the rise and expansion of the imperial power of Macedonia in the north which exercised control.

Ancient Rome

Republic to empire; this was under a political system of oligarchy established after the overthrow of kingship or monarchy. Citizens were originally only for politicians but were gradually extended to plebeians who were later on allowed to acquire citizenship alongside residents of conquered territories, all of which enjoyed legal and social advantages.

Modern France

A political watershed in the evolution of modern democracy and citizenship; this revolution abolished feudalism and slavery, and introduced a declaration regarding the rights of man, as well as the universal male suffrage.

Modern America

Produced the Declaration of Independence which stated that: “all men are created equal”and that the government derives its power from the ‘consent of the governed. A Bill of Rights was added to its Constitution, but discrimination towards women and racism was still evident in its nation, problems that are still evident and are focal points of social movements today.