Unit 1, 1.1 Democracy and Participation: Types of Democracy

Question 1

what is DEMOCRACY?

Answer 1

Democracy is simply defined as rule of the people. Democracy means giving power to the people. A political system is said to be democratic if the major decisions that affect society are made, directly or indirectly, by the people themselves, with each citizen having an equal right to have a say and to make his or her opinion count.

Question 2

what is DIRECT DEMOCRACY?

Answer 2

The people make political decisions themselves. It obliterates the distinction between government and the people. The effectiveness of direct democracy is based on the extent of popular participation in government.

Question 3

what is REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY?

Answer 3

The people simply choose who will make decisions on their behalf. The effectiveness of representative democracy is based on the extent of popular control over government.

Question 4

what are the KEY FEATURES of DIRECT DEMOCRACY?

Answer 4

• Popular participation is direct in that people ‘make’ policy decisions - they do not merely choose who will rule on their behalf
• Popular participation is unmediated in that the people ‘are’ the government - there is no separate class of professional politicians
• Popular participation is continuous in that people engage in politics on a regular and ongoing basis - all decisions are made by the people

Question 5

what are the KEY FEATURES of REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY?

Answer 5

• The public do not exercise power themselves, they choose who will rule on their behalf
• The people are linked to government through representative institutions
• Popular participation in government is limited - it is infrequent and brief, being restricted to the act of voting every few years