Participatory Democracy
Definition
A type of democracy where citizens have the power to decide directly on policy and politicians are responsible for implementing those policies.
Analogy
Think of participatory democracy as a school project where every student in the class gets to vote on what topic they want to work on. The teacher (the politician) then has the responsibility to guide them through that chosen topic.
Related terms
Direct Democracy: A form of government in which all laws are created by a general vote of society.
Referendum: A direct vote in which an entire electorate is invited to vote on a particular proposal.
Town Hall Meeting: An informal public meeting derived from the traditional town meetings of New England. Typically used today for politicians to meet with their constituents.
"Participatory Democracy" appears in:
Study guides (1)
Practice Questions (7)
What does a participatory democracy look like?
In a participatory democracy, what is the role of citizens?
How does participatory democracy differ from other democratic models?
How does the principle of participatory democracy impact the behavior of modern political action committees (PACs)?
How may U.S history have developed differently if participatory democracy was widely embraced during the country's founding instead of focusing on elite theory?
Had the U.S embraced participatory democracy at its founding rather than representative democracy, what possible scenario may have unfolded?
Which challenge is most directly linked to the future of participatory democracy in the United States?
Resources
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