Now that you have learned about the Ideals of Democracy, we will go over the types of democracy. Representative democracies are usually in one of the following models:
Participatory Democracy emphasizes broad participation in politics and civil society. In this model, citizens vote on issues/laws directly rather than voting to elect officials to represent them. The Constitutional framers were opposed to this model as they didn’t want citizens to have a direct say in laws.
The larger a nation is, the harder it is to govern it, and given the size of current-day America, this would likely be an ineffective system. Although this model isn’t the basis of our government, participatory democracy does show up in some aspects of America, mainly at the local level. For example, town halls are a way in which the average person can be directly involved in decisions.
Pluralist Democracy emphasizes group-based activism by groups of nongovernmental people looking to impact political decision-making. The biggest example of this model is interest groups, which are groups of people who have a common interest in a specific issue, which can have a big impact on decision-making.
Interest groups, such as the National Rifle Association, will typically raise money/persuade legislators to pass legislation regarding their common goals, which amplifies the voice of the common voter.
Elite Democracy emphasizes limited participation to only a few “elite”, educated statesmen who are more qualified to direct lawmaking. Those in favor of this model argue that in a complex nation such as America, it’s crucial that only the most educated, qualified people should be in the lawmaking process, which could prevent unwise policy decisions.
There are times in this nation when elite democracy comes into play, such as how we elect the president. The president is elected by the Electoral College, which is a handful of electors from the states who vote for the president, rather than the people voting directly. Additionally, the House of Representatives is based on representative democracy, as citizens directly elect these representatives to make decisions on their behalf.
Tensions in Foundational Documents
In the Constitution, the elite model is shown in ways, such as how the Constitution provides for representatives whom the people elect to legislate.
The pluralist model is shown in the lawmaking process, as various interests need to work together and compromise to get things done.
The participatory model is shown due to the separation of powers between the federal and state governments. States can pass laws, provided they don’t conflict with federal laws.
The tensions of these three models are also shown in the debate between Federalist 10 and Brutus I. Brutus was in favor of the participatory model and argued that a powerful central government would become tyrannical, and he wanted most of the power to be under the control of the states.
Federalist 10 rebutted against the participatory model by saying all factions would have to compete against one another due to the population’s diversity, resulting in a protection from tyranny. He supported the pluralist model.