Democracy and participation - Keywords

Legitimacy

The rightful use of power in accordance with pre-set criteria or widely-held agreements, such as a government’s right to rule following an election or a monarch’s succession based on the agreed rules

Direct Democracy

All individuals express their opinions themselves and not through representatives acing on their behalf. This type of democracy emerged in Athens in classical times and direct democracy can be seen today in referendums

Representative democracy

A more modern form of democracy through which an individual selects a person (and/or political party) to act on their behalf to exercise political choice

Pluralist democracy

a type of democracy in which a government makes decisions as a result of the interplay of various ideas and contrasting arguments from competing groups and organisations.

Democratic deficit

A flaw in the democratic process by where decisions are taken by people who lack legitimacy, not having been appointment with sufficient democratic input or subject to accountability

Participation crisis

A lack of engagement by a significant number of citizens to relate to the political process either by choosing not to vote or to join or become members of political parties or to offer themselves for public office.

Franchise/suffrage

Franchise and suffrage both refer to the ability/right to vote in public elections. Suffragettes were women campaigning for the right to vote on the same term as men.

Think tanks

A body of experts brought together to collectively focus on a certain topic(s) - to investigate and offer solutions to often complicated and seemingly intractable economic, social or political issues

Lobbyists

A lobbyist is paid by clients to try and influence the government and/or MPs and members of the House of Lords to act in their clients’ interests, particularly when legislation is under consideration.

Civil liberties

The freedoms that we have under the law that demand non-interference by the government and other public institutions. In the UK the individual is presumed to be able to do anything not actually prohibited by the law.

Human rights

The fundamental rights that people are entitled to by virtue of being human. In theory, these rights cannot be taken away under any circumstance and must be fully upheld in all cases.