Representative Democracy

Imagine you and an airplane full of passengers survive a crash landing on a deserted island. If you're stuck there long enough, you will likely organize jobs, select or elect leadership and decide on action steps. The more people present, the more voices and individual choices that arise, leading to competition over ideas and making it difficult to solve problems, but forming a representative democracy could be one solution. This article is an introduction to representative democracy.

• Definition of representative democracy
• Representative democracy vs. direct democracy
• The meaning of representative democracy
• Examples of representative democracies
• Pros and cons of representative democracies
• Key takeaways

Definition of Representative Democracy

This form of government consists of citizens who elect officials (leaders) to represent their wishes and have their opinions shared in an organized government. In this system of government, the citizens exercise their power through voting and contacting elected representatives who are then responsible for voting on laws and matters of the state. This is different from a direct democracy, where the citizens have more control and greater responsibility.

Fig. 1: Ohio women demonstrating the voting process in 1920

Representative Democracy vs. Direct Democracy

In contrast to representative democracy, in a direct democracy, the citizens actually vote on all policies and laws. With a large population, it would be very challenging and inefficient to have all citizens study, participate and vote on every single issue facing a society. The Ancient Greeks and Romans are credited with many attempts to grant voting rights and power to their citizens.

Direct Democracy in Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece is the most commonly cited example of direct democracy. This form of government granted citizens individual, direct voting rights on all issues. In Ancient Athens, the definition of a citizen only included wealthy adult males who were permitted to vote only in open forums, meaning there were no secret ballots or privacy of choices. It is from the Greeks that the word democracy is derived.

Representative Democracy in Ancient Rome

In Ancient Rome, rule by the monarch (think, king or emperor) was common until an experiment with a representative democracy emerged. During an almost 500-year period, citizens voted directly for representatives in legislatures and assemblies through periodic elections. While these elections and the transition of power were often violent, the attempt to amplify the voice of citizens was present.

The Difference Between Direct and Representative Democracies

The fundamental difference between direct and representative democracies is the role of the people in the government. In a direct democracy, the people propose and vote on the state’s rules and laws. By contrast, in a representative democracy, the voters elect representatives who then vote on the laws and rules of the state.

There is a strong chance you live in a representative democracy. Approximately 60% of the world’s countries are classified as representative democracies. Countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany are examples of nations with this type of government.

What are the basic features you find in countries with this form of government?

Fig. 2: U.S. Capitol, Washington D.C.

Global Examples

The U.S. model became an example for many nations globally with new representative democracies forming in Europe and South America in the 1800s. Other nations have created different power-sharing relationships between executive and legislative branches and created alternative methods of representation.

Since 1900, a majority of nations in the world became representative democracies as citizens desired and in some cases, demanded a say in their nation’s decisions. This move corresponded with an overthrow of monarchies and increased de-colonization.

Since 1900, the number of democracies worldwide has increased dramatically. Countries with autocracies have been declining and many have been replaced with representative democracies.

Fig. 3: Map showing the quality of democracy across the world.

Pros / Cons of Representative Democracy

Pros:

• A high level of personal empowerment is offered as citizens at local, state, and federal levels can select candidates for governmental office.

• Citizens are not required to have detailed information and awareness of governmental data, processes, and activities. Representatives can be chosen to use their skills and knowledge to better decide on specific measures and laws.

• Citizens then have more time to focus on their daily life and not attend to the affairs of government.

• The process of making laws is faster as hundreds of thousands to hundreds of millions of citizens are not required to attend meetings, reach policy decisions, and vote on individual laws.

Cons:

• Citizens often vote on a candidate and then trust the representative to fairly and accurately govern the affairs of the state or nation. As a result, many citizens are not involved in specific decisions and may be unaware of the impact of policy moves.

• Representatives may abuse the trust granted to them by voters and act on their own behalf or of special interests. The only accountability is the next election; if they are allowed to run, according to the law.

• A more streamlined process can result in votes brought to a legislature or an executive action before citizens are aware of their presence or impact.

• Candidates can misrepresent their actual intentions or engage in political corruption. Votes may not reflect voter views on all issues as a candidate’s platform may not contain all the topics that the government will address.