1.1 current systems of representative democracy and direct democracy Flashcards
define direct democracy
- a form of democracy where the people themselves make key decisions. In modern societies this usually takes the form of holding referendums (the people make the decisions on issues usually in the form of a yes or no response). The power is held by the people rather than representatives
define representative democracy
- a form of democracy where the people elect or somehow choose representatives who make political decisions on their behalf. it also implies that representatives are accountable for what they do
define pluralist democracy
- describes a political system where there is more than one centre of power. Modern democracies are by definition pluralist as democracies allow freedom of association. However, pluralism may exist without democracy
what are the origins of direct democracy
- democracy was first used in Ancient Greece. The people would literally gather together, listen to the speeches of their leaders and vote
what is an example of direct democracy
- Switzerland
pros of direct democracy
- increased legitimacy (decisions have greater democratic legitimacy because they have the support of the majority of people)
- a pure form of democracy (everyone has their say on issues rather than having their views expressed through representatives)
- increased public engagement (regular public debates and discussion of issues help to improve public engagement in the running of the country)
- improves political education (political education is improved because people need to be informed in order to make decisions)
- it works (countries like Switzerland regularly use direct democracy to make decisions and are seen to function effectively)
- improves participation (participation can be greater when people have more opportunities to be involved with issues that directly affect them)
cons of direct democracy
- undermines elected representatives (having a direct democracy in representative ssytems undermines the role of those representatives and allows them to pass responsibility for difficult decisions to the public)
- it is not practical (in a modern state the number of issues plsu the size of the population means a system of direct democracy would be unresponsive and impractical)
- low turnouts (means that only a small group of people make the decisions which affect everyone, this undermines the legitimacy of the decisions being made)
- tyranny of the majority (minority groups and interests may have detrimental decisions imposed on them when decisions are based on majority votes)
- emotional responses (people may vote on the basis of emotion rather than the practical considerations of a political issue)
- populist outcomes ( people may vote on popular short term measures that will benefit them rather than consider what will be in the national interest and good for everyone)
define accountability
- where those who have been elected in representative democracy must be made responsible for their policies, actions, decisions and conduct
define polls
- polls simply establish the number of people who support a particular person, party or issue
define constituents
- the ordinary voters who elect a particular representative, usually based on residence in a particular geographical area
what 6 features make up representative democracy
(hint:S,N,C,P,O,C)
- social representation
- representing national interest
- constituency representation
- party representation
- occupational representation
- casual representation
what is social representation?
- the characteristics of members of representative bodies (national, regional, or local) should be broadly in line with the characteristics of the population as a whole
- they should be a close microcosm of society as a whole and ‘look like’ that society
e.g just over half should be ethnic or religious minorities and there should be a range of ages and classes
what is representing national interest?
- the national parliament are expected to represent the interests of the nation as a whole and do what they believe is right, rather than what people may want
-sometimes the issue may clash with the local constituency they represent, so they have to resolve the issue in their own way
what is constituency representation
- the locality that elects a representative is known as constituency. the idea is that a geographical area will have similar social and economic concerns that a representative will speak about in the elected body.
1. it can mean representing the interests of the constituency as a whole
2. it can also mean representing the interests of individual constituents
3. it can simply mean that a representative listens to the views of their constituents when deciding about a national issue
what is party representation
- it follows that members of a party who are seeking to be elected will campaign on the basis of the party’s manifesto. this means that they are representing their party and the voters understand this
what is occupational representation?
- some elected representatives will represent not only their constituency or region, but also a particular occupational or social group
e.g those who support and are supported by trade unions will pursue the cause of groups of workers
what is casual representation?
where representative bodies are not representing people so much as ideas, principles and causes, this is called casual representation
e.g environmental, greater equality, and animal rights
what are the pros of representative democracy
- everyone is represented through a constituency MP
- there are thousands of pressure groups representing a variety of interests, and groups that can compete
- the electoral commission works hard to ensure that parties adhere to rules on spending and campaigning
- britian has a variety of parties that contest elections, with ten parties in parliament
- the FPTP electoral system is simple and provides a clear winner for each seat
- everyone over the age of 18, not a prisoner, mentally incapable, or a peer has the right to vote in general elections
- new groups and parties can easily be created and take on new issues
- representatives can develop expertise to deal with matters the public does not have time or knowledge to deal with
- representatives can behled to account for their actions
- in a large, modern country, it is the only practical way to translate public opinion into political action
what are the cons of representative democracy?
- representatives may not act in the best interests of their constituents
- representative bodies may ignore the concerns and needs of minorities
- (the electoral system leads to wasted votes and unrepresentative outcomes in parliament)
- safe seats across the uke mean that there is a lack of real choice in many constituencies
- there are issues concerning the denial of the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds as well as prisoners in general
- due to a variety of factors including wealth, size and status, the competition between pressure groups is often unfair and elitist, giving some groups much greater power than others
what are the levels of representation?
(hint:PLCMDN)
-parish or town councils
-local councils
-combined authorities
-metropolitan authorities
-devolved government
-national government
what do parish or town councils do
- the lowest level of government, they deal with local issues such as parks and gardens, parling restrictions, public amenities, and small planning issues
what do local councils do?
- these may be county councils, district councils or metropolitan councils. they deal with local services such as education, transport, roads
what do combined authorities do?
- where groups of two or more local councils in England join together to share recourses and increased powers devolved to them from central government. These may be presided over by an elected mayor (e.g greater Manchester) or not have a mayor (e.g west Yorkshire)
what do metropolitan authorities do?
- this is big city government, such as London. these bodies deal with strategic city issues such as policing, public transport, arts funding, environment, large planning issues and emergency services. they normally have an elected mayor and strategic authority
what do devolved governments do?
- the government of Wales, Scotland and northern Ireland, they have varying powers but all deal with health, social services, education, policing and transport. All three have elected representative bodies (an assembly in northern Ireland, parliaments in Scotland and Wales)
what is the national government?
- this is the jurisdiction of the UK government at Westminster and the UK government
what are the forms of representation
(hint:CGPP)
- constituencies
- government representation
-parties
-pressure groups
what is constituancies representation
-every elected representative should have a constituency to which they are accountable and whose interest they should pursue
- these constituencies may be quite small, such as a parish or a local ward, or they may be very large like those for the Northern Ireland parliament or the greater Manchester area but the principles applies to all
- this principle is that induvial in constituency should have their grievances considered, that the interest of the whole constituency should be given a hearing in a representative assembly, and that elected representative is regularly made accountable to their constituency
what is government representation
- the people as a whole are also represented by the elected government. it is a mark of true democracy that the winning party should govern on behalf of the whole community and not just those sections of society that typically support it. While it is true that there will be a tendency to support some groups more than others, this does not alter the fact that the elected government represents the whole nation
what is party representation
- first, political parties have evolved out of ideological principles and are therefore united by a set of core beliefs and principles at the heart of the party e.g socialism for the labour party
- this means, at their heart, members of UK parties have shared ideologies and set of beliefs
- secondly, it is usually the case that one single party governs in the UK, which is rare compared with many of the democracies across Europe; there have also been exceptions between 2010-2015 when a coalition rules, however since the 80 seat majority secured by conservatives in December 2019, the UK has returned to its more normal position of single party government
what is pressure group representation
pressure groups in the UK are representative bodies in 2 ways:
-some groups will have a formal membership and will represent their ‘section’ of society by promoting policies that will benefit them e.g the National farmers union
-other groups are engaged in casual representation. Here they represent a set of beliefs, principles or demands that they believe will benefit the whole community e.g Just stop oil
- all pressure groups represent us in various ways, it is all part of a pluralist democracy and a healthy civil service
who represents ward/ parish
- parish and local councillors
who represents constituencies
- MPs
who represents a city region
- assembly members
who represents a metropolitan authority
- elected mayors
who represents devolved assembly constituency
MSP, MSLs
