Direct and indirect democracy

Direct democracy

Direct democracy is a type of democracy where all major decisions are made by directly consulting the people through referendums.

Representative democracy

Representative democracy is a form of democracy where representatives from various political parties are elected to make decisions and vote on behalf of their constituency.

What are some disadvantages of direct democracy?

• The tyranny of the majority:

No possibility for elected MPs to represent a group that doesn't have a national majority. Example: 2009 construction of minarets in mosques banned.

• Regular referendums cause heavy social division

What are disadvantages of Representative democracy?

• Any votes that don't win an election are wasted. Encourages tactical voting so people do not vote for what they believe in.

• People are not encouraged to stay engaged in politics.

• Professional politics leads of alterior motives from MPs - corruption

• Voter demoralisation - 2 party system means that many feel like they can't change anything - no voice.

• No perfect electoral system

How does direct democracy work in Switzerland?

Swiss votes are clustered into 10 or a dozen referendums per year. Each referendum lasts three to four days. A referendum is put on the ballot when it gathers 100,000 signatures.

What does direct democracy do to trust in government?

In a survey of 40 nations, Switzerland was found to have the highest level of government trust.

What does direct democracy do to participation?

Doesn't actually cause voter fatigue. Switzerland has around 80% turnout for referendums.