Democracy and participation Flashcards
legitimacy
right to govern
direct democracy
people vote directly on issues
representative democracy
people vote on a representative to vote and debate on issues
pluralist democracy
political system where there is more than one center of power
democratic deficit
GOVt falls short of fulfilling the principles of democracy
participation crisis
large proportion of population don’t engage with politics
franchise / suffrage
right to vote in election
think tanks
public policy research organisations that seek to influence GOVt policy
lobbyists
individual or a group tries to persuade someone in Parliament to support a particular policy or campaign
advantages of DD
people forced to be more engaged with politics - educational benefits
gives GOVt more legitimacy
disadvantages of DD
people may make uninformed decisions
practically unachievable in large modern societies
advantages of RD
decisions are left in the hands of people who have much more knowledge/expertise
encourage people to accept compromise, as they have not actually made the decision themselves (so may be less emotionally attached)
disadvantages of RD
elected official may decide to vote in a way that does not represent the majority of their district
features of referendum (3)
vote on single issue
results aren’t legally binding
majority required
direct democracy
how to improve political participation (5)
voting compulsory
lower voting age
increase referendums
proportional representation
digital democracy
