Category: Concepts And Theories Of Democracy

Popular democracy is direct democracy, unmediated and participatory, popular self-government. Rousseau conceptualised such form of government. Legitimacy of the government flows from citizen’s determining their legislation and policy in their direct assembly. It presupposes a ‘general will’ or a collective will of the community without any factional or sectional division. It is said that Julius… Continue reading Popular Democracy

Popular democracy is direct democracy, unmediated and participatory, popular self-government. Rousseau conceptualised such form of government. Legitimacy of the government flows from citizen’s determining their legislation and policy in their direct assembly. It presupposes a ‘general will’ or a collective will of the community without any factional or sectional division. It is said that Julius… Continue reading Popular Democracy

It comes from the practice of direct participation of the Roman plebeians in assembly to legislate. It is a form of direct democracy. However, many writers and observers have designated plebiscitary democracy those regimes that use mobilisational strategy to get affirmation to their policies, offices and legislation. Here, participation of the people is coercively managed,… Continue reading Plebiscitary Democracy

People’s democracy is practiced in socialist regimes called people’s republics, e.g., People’s Republic of China, People’s Republic of North Korea, etc. Based on the organisation of communist or socialist party and Lenin’s democratic centralism, people’s democracy is based on elected deputies from amongst the party leaders and workers. Generally, it does allow multi-partyism because as… Continue reading People’s Democracy

Representative democracy is mediated through parties and party-based designations are applied to democracy. There can be bi-party or multi-party democracy. Generally, multi-party democracy is considered a positive sign of democratic competition, though America has a stabilised two-party democracy. The UK though has two main parties, Conservatives and Labour, it has other parties also such as… Continue reading Party-based Democracy

A form of direct democracy associated with two dimensions of participation. Firstly, direct and unmediated participation of the people in government and legislation is considered as the basis of democracy. Athens and Plebeian Romans practiced it and Jean Jacques Rousseau in his The Social Contract advocated this form. J. S. Mill in his Considerations on Representative Government supports ‘a… Continue reading Participatory Democracy

American leader, James Madison was very concerned with protecting individuals and groups from the arbitrary power of government. He insisted on limiting government power and conduct through well-laid mechanism of checks and balances. Separation of powers of different organs of the government such as legislature, executive and judiciary with each having check on the other,… Continue reading Madisonian Democracy

Government based on a combination of democratic values (open, free and fair periodically held elections based on universal suffrage) and liberal-constitutional values (liberty and rights of individuals, checks and limitations on government). Main principles are representative government, open and free elections, adult suffrage, majority principles as decision-making criteria, checks and balances between different branches of… Continue reading Liberal Democracy

Government based on a combination of democratic values (open, free and fair periodically held elections based on universal suffrage) and liberal-constitutional values (liberty and rights of individuals, checks and limitations on government). Main principles are representative government, open and free elections, adult suffrage, majority principles as decision-making criteria, checks and balances between different branches of… Continue reading Liberal Democracy

Some thinkers and observers such as Prof. Harold Laski advocated industrial democracy, which involves worker’s participation in industry. It is application of the concept of democracy in industry.