essay on "types of democracy"...
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Types of democracy
There are several types of democracy. In this article, learn about participatory democracy, pluralist democracy, and elite democracy.
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Key points
Participatory democracy is a model of democracy in which citizens have the power to decide directly on policy and politicians are responsible for implementing those policy decisions.
Pluralist democracy is a model of democracy in which no one group dominates politics and organized groups compete with each other to influence policy.
Elite democracy is a model of democracy in which a small number of people, usually those who are wealthy and well-educated, influence political decision making.
Models of democracy
When the United States was founded, the Founders created a democratic republic, a system of government in which the power to govern comes from the people, but elected officials represent their interests. This system of government allows American citizens to participate in government in many ways.
The United States also has many different levels and branches of government that any citizen or group might approach. Many people take this as evidence that US citizens, especially as represented by competing groups, can influence government actions. Some political theorists, however, argue that this is not the case. These different opinions have sprouted three popular models of democracy: participatory, pluralist, and elite.
We can see each model of democracy in the American government today. In this article, we’ll define participatory, pluralist, and elite democracy and describe examples of each.
Participatory democracy
A participatory democracy is a model of democracy in which citizens have the power to make policy decisions. Participatory democracy emphasizes the broad participation of people in politics.
However, this is not a direct democracy, in which citizens are directly responsible for making policy decisions. In a participatory democracy, citizens can influence policy decisions, but do not make them. Politicians are still responsible for implementing those policy decisions. The United States does not have a pure participatory democracy, but at some levels of government, we can see examples of a participatory democracy playing out.
Senator Ted Cruz at a New England College Town Hall meeting.
Senator Ted Cruz at a New England College Town Hall meeting.
Senator Ted Cruz at a New England College Town Hall Meeting on February 3rd, 2016. Image credit: Flickr Creative Commons
Examples of participatory democracy today
We can see participatory democracy in local and state forms of government, where citizens have multiple access points to influence policymakers. Town hall meetings are a way for local and national politicians to meet with constituents to hear their opinions on topics they are interested in or to discuss upcoming legislation.
Initiatives and referendums are two ways in which local and state governments allow for citizens to influence policy decisions. An initiative is a process that allows citizens to bypass their state legislature by placing proposed laws on the ballot. Some states even allow citizens to place constitutional amendments on the ballot.
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