Advantages of direct and representative democracy

Authors Avatar by imadaya (student)

Explain the advantages of Direct democracy.

An advantage of Direct democracy is that it is the purest form of democracy as people aren’t representing you, so your views get across without being manipulated, which in turn will encourage more people to get involved in politics. Another advantage is that all voters are equal in the sense that everyone is a politician because they are politically active. Each voter’s opinion is equal to everyone else’s. It counters apathy and cynicism because the people are directly involved in the day-to-day running of the country. A modern form of direct democracy is when referendums are held. This allows the community to decide whether changes should be made to procedures, or if new laws should be introduced. This makes the people feel more involved in how the country is run and makes them have a more positive attitude towards politics. Direct democracy removes power from the hands of the elite and affirms that power lies with the people. It raises issues that the elite do not want to address, giving power to the people.

Join now!

Explain the advantages of Representative democracy.

An advantage of Representative democracy is that it is practical. The size of the modern state makes it necessary for a small group of elected politicians to make the big decisions. This good because it puts decision-making in the hands of people with sufficient knowledge and experience, so outrageous changes will not be made. The people chose who should represent them so they have some say in how the country should be run. Another advantage of Representative democracy is that there are MPs for each constituency, so they will be aware of the ...

This is a preview of the whole essay