Democracy Flashcards
Representative democracy
- A form of democracy in which the people select individuals to act on their behalf
-These representatives aren’t delegates and don’t merely take instructions from voters; expected to exercise their own judgement
-Held to account through regular elections
Direct democracy
-Individuals express their opinions and vote on laws and policies themselves and not through representatives acting on their behalf
-Used in ancient Athens, but such a system would not be practical in a large modern state
How is direct democracy used today?
-Infrequent referendums such as Brexit and Scottish Independence
-2015 Recall of MPs Act, allowing a by-election to be called for an MP if they are suspended or imprisoned for more than 21 days, holds reps to account
-Switzerland uses around 10 referendum style votes each year
Direct democracy raises problems?
-Undermines parliamentary sovereignty
-Brexit referendum, the public disagreed significantly with their representatives as no major party officially supported ‘Leave’, shows the disconnect between representative and direct democracy
Legitimacy
-Legal right to exercise power e.g. a government’s right to rule following an election
-Legitimacy is important for governments, validates the policies of those in power through support and consent of the people to the election manifesto.
Protective perspective on democracy
-Protective perspective focuses on the working of democracy for individual freedom
-Doesn’t expect large-scale citizen participation, rather just enough to grant the system legitimacy
Developmental perspective on democracy
-Citizens need to engage on an active basis
-Achieve more open and engaging political system, as well as a more equal society addressing gender and class inequalities
Similarities between direct and representative democracy
-Designed to implement the will of the people, majority rule
-Both can be implement at different levels of government, including local and national
-People can be swayed by politicians and those in media
-Direct plays and important role in RD through petitions and pressure groups
Differences
-Individuals express opinions themselves in DD
-There aren’t political parties in DD, though there are campaigns on each side
-RD, government is elected which can be held to account
-DD acts through rule of the majority, RD has more protections for minorities
-RD better at handling complex political decisions
Advantages of DD
-Equal weight to all votes, as opposed to RD where constituencies cause unequal votes
-Encourages participation
-Reduces possibility of corruption/will of the people not being followed
Disadvantages of DD
-Impractical in large, heavily populated modern states
-Open to manipulation by speakers
-Minority views disregarded, views of the majority not mediated through parliament ‘tyranny of the majority’
Advantages of RD
-Practical, especially important during crises such as COVID
-Reduces chance of tyranny of the majority, gives minorities a voice in parliament
-Politicians are, in theory, better informed than the average citizen, less likely to be swayed by emotional appeals
Disadvantages of RD
-Representatives don’t necessarily represent the best interests of the people and may betray election promises e.g. 2010 when Liberal Democrats didn’t follow manifesto promises to scrap tuition fees
-Minorities still underrepresented as they don’t hold much electoral weight
-FPTP means reps are often elected with less than half the vote
