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Democracy & participation; democracy systems - Coggle Diagram
Democracy & participation; democracy systems
Representative democracy
aka electoral democracy
free, fair and regular elections
universal suffrage (all adults can vote)
voter choice (party & candidate competition)
participation indirect, mediated, participation in choosing government
government accountability
parliamentary soverignity
elections
aggregation of views
majority rule
elected representatives
often used when it is a big political issue that could effect many people if done wrong / requires a lot of education
Delegate theory of representation:
MPs should act on constituents
If the majority of constituents oppose a bill then the elected delegate should reflect this in parliament
flaw that not all constituents think alike and if MP always picks majority then the minority may not get much say in parliament
Trustee (Burkean) Representation:
experienced, educated and informed MPs should consider constituents’ views, but exercise their own judgement in parliament
MPs should vote in national, rather than local, interest even if it conflicts with their views of their constituents
Party/ Mandate model of representation:
As most MPs owe their position to their party, rather than their personal popularity, they should vote in line with their parties’ manifesto
Aside from voting, how else can we participate in our representative democracy?
canvassing, volunteering to work for the campaign
donating to a campaign/fundraising activity
writing to, or meeting with your local MP to express your views
joining a political party, influencing the candidates party leader, and the polices
join pressure groups
consultation with the gov (the gov often invites responses from groups from outside of gov)
E-petitions (10,000 receive gov response, 100,000 are passed to parliamentary committee which can timetable them for debate)
boycotts, marches, strikes, media campaigns
Direct democracy
also known as classic democracy or Athenian model
direct, unmediated, continuous
Case study: direct democracy in Switzerland:
vote by raising hand
women only allowed to vote since 1991
not anonymous, people could be bribed
vote via mailing / posting in vote
Strengths:
could be very legitimate, purest form of democracy
increased chances of participation
encourage political participation
Weaknesses:
people may not vote depending on how done
impractical
tyranny of the majority
low turnouts
emotional responses
complexity of issues
undermines elected representatives
referendums
Both:
pressure group influence
universal suffrage
independent judiciary
can be used when the vote is about how our democracy works to avoid MPs scewing
often used when it will effect 'the people' rather than the government
You are not able to vote if:
not a UK citizen
member of HoL
In prison
convinced in the past 5 years for corrupt or illegal practices in an election
under 18
Functions of democracy
Representation
- there must be a means of the people being able to put their views to the gov of the day
Accountability
- there must be a process by which the gov of the day can be made to explain & take responsibility for its actions
Participation
- there must be a way which people can be engaged & take part
Power dispersal
- should be a system that ensures power is spread across different political bodies avoid one overly dominant
Legitimacy
- process for selection of different branches should have legal authority & fairly represent will of the people
Education
- political process should be open to all, should be educated & informed citzenry who are able to understand the issues & make informed decisions
Forms of democracy?
Liberal democracy
- right to vote is widespread and representatives will act in the interests of everyone in society
Majoritarian democracy
- will or desires of majority of population are the prime considerations of the gov
Parliamentary democracy
- parliament is the highest form of authority, executive branch will be drawn from & accountable to the people's representatives in parliament
Presidential democracy
- executive elected separately from legislative body, and is therefore chosen by and directly accountable to the people
Direct democracy
- any occasion where citizens are directly involved in the decision-making process
Representative democracy
- any system where people transfer the people to make decisions so an elected representative
What is democracy?
What is it?
democracy is a system where power is held by 'the people'
in modern democracies checks are put in place to limit the power given to the people; initially only wealthy, white men could vote (overtime, property owners, all men, women & anyone over 18 could vote)
The Uk can be considered a:
liberal democracy & a parliamentary democracy
uses elements of both direct & representative democracy
Parliament
UK general election:
UK divided into 650 constituencies, each elects a simple MP to represent them in parliament
only elects half of parliament (HoC, 'lower house')
manifesto -> voters -> mandate
Main differences between government and Parliament:
not all conservative MPs are members of the gove, only 116 conservative MPs and Peers who have been specifically chosen by the PM
each Minister works in a particular gov department and is each responsible for a particular policy area
Parliament: legislative branch, debates and approves laws while scrutinising the work of the government
Government: executive branch, proposes new laws and then implements them once passed by parliament
Gov proposes new law -> parliament debates and votes -> government implements reforms -> parliament examines governments work
gov has to retain the confidence of the majority of the MPs, otherwise there could be a Motion (vote) of no confidence, if the gov loses a confidence motion, and does not win another within 14 days, then a general election is called to elect a new gov
parliamentary vs presidential democracy:
parliamentary democracy – public elects individuals to represent them in parliament, gov is drawn from parliament, executive depends on, and is held accountable to, parliament
presidential democracy – public elects individuals to represent them in congress, public also elects a president (head of gov), executive power is separated from legislative power
Has the UK always been a representative democracy?
1265-1832 less than 5% of the population had the right to vote, mainly wealthy property holding men
Great Reform Act (1832), The Reform Act (1867), The Representation of the People Act (1884), gradually expanded the franchise by lowering property requirements
The Ballot Act (1872), replaced open elections with a secret ballot, reducing the influence employer & landowners had over employees and tenants
The Representation of People Act (1918), expanded the electorate to include men over the age of 21 and most women over the age of 30
The Equal Franchise Act (1928), lowered the voting age for women from 30 to 21
Representation of the People Act (1969) extended the franchise to almost all citizens over 18
The UK holds elections for other institutions:
not just parliament
Scottish parliament, Welsh assembly, Northern Ireland assembly, local government, mayors, police and crime commissioners and representatives for the EU
Referendums
What is a referendum?
a vote in which citizens are asked to decide a political question
example of direct democracy
parliament is not legally bound by referendum results as it is soverign, however politically parliament does not have unlimited political power and ignoring a referendum result would undermine its legitimacy
Influence of parliament & gov over referendums:
can decide when held, can lead to broken promises e.g. no referendum on Lisbon Treaty, can avoid ones that likely won't give result they want
determine the threshold for success e.g. 1979 Scottish Parliament Referendum 51.6% yes but low turnout, total electorate was not 40% yes (what gov decided)
can decide wording of the question e.g. 1979 Scottish Parliament Referendum had 2 separate questions, 1 on if there should be one and another on tax-varying powers, separating more controversy issue raising chances of first success
American referendums:
initiatives, used in 24 states, allows citizens to collect required number of signatures to trigger a vote on a new bill, or an amendment to the consitution e.. California 8% signatures needed for constitutional amendment, 5% for a statue of the number of people who voted in the last election for state governor
referendums vote on a bill or state constitution amendment that has already been passed by state legislature
1) legislative referendums, state legislate puts bills/amendments up for a vote
2) popular/veto referendum, voters collect signatures to trigger a vote on a passed bill
What sorts of issues are usually decided by UK referendums?
mainly uses referendums to get public approval for constitutional reforms
tend to focus on changes to how our democracy actually works
lots of referendums in the UK focus transferences of power, many including Scotland, Ireland, Wales having own elected assemblies, the EU and how we elect people
local referendums held by local govs have held votes to measure public support for new policies
2002-14 >37 communities have voted on introducing an elected mayor – 13 areas yes, 24 no
Edinburgh (2005) and Manchester (2008) voted on congestion charges with both firmly answering no
What sorts of issues are voted on in US initiatives and referendums?
diverse range of topics due to two types of referendums
Arkansas Minimum Wage Initiative (2014), an act to raise the state minimum wage from $6.25/hour to $8.50/hour by 2017 – many states also held this referendum from an initiative
since 2012 9 states (including Washington DC) used ballot measures to legalise manufacture, sale and possession of marijuana by adults
Maine Question 1(2012), initiative to legalise same sex marriage
Why has the use of referendums increased since 1997?
because the newly elected Labour gov wanted to make a number of substantial constitutional reforms
due to improvements in education, media growth and the internet it is argued that todays electorate is more informed and more able to vote on constitutional issues
increased use of referendums under Labour essentially established a new convention that major constitutional issues should be decided with a referendum
House of Lords reform
1999 - HoL reform act:
removed all but 92 hereditary peers from the HoL & replaced with appointed lords
gave some indirect legitimacy, but led to criticisms of cronyism
2011, conversation party proposals for an elected chamber were defeated by a rebellion of back bench conservative MPs
Advantages of using representative democracy to settle HoL reform:
direct democracy can have low turnout due to uneducation of people e.g. 2016 referendum 72.2% turnout, Brexit important whereas HoL less (arguably), 42% turnout for 2011 election on HoC, lack of interest in parliament
complex issue for the public
parliament working with HoC since Middle Ages, have history & knowledge of how HoL works best, experts
can be direct later on if people want to elect representatives
cheaper and more efficient than referendum, discludes tyranny of the majority
non-emotional decisions
Disadvantages of using representative democracy to settle HoL reform:
parliament have bias, could form alliances
tories shot down once before, no action for last 10 years
may not have publics best interest in mind
people dont feel represented by MPs (8%)
far more Lords than MPs
doesnt educate the people like direct democracy does
doesnt show the will of the people like direct democracy does