We explain what participatory democracy is, how it originated and its objectives. In addition, we explain its characteristics, advantages and more.
What is participatory democracy?
Participatory democracy is a form of democratic government that involves citizens in decision makingbut maintaining the structures of representation of the State. In other words, it is an intermediate model between representative democracy and direct democracy.
Citizen participation in this type of democracy can be determined by various factors and may obey different methodologies. However, It usually involves referendums or popular consultationsas well as random participation in state functions, among others.
Participatory democracy is often seen as an achievable option to overcome the difficulties of representative democracy.
See also: Political parties
Origin of participatory democracy
Democracy is native to Ancient Greecewhere it was given in a direct form.
This system was developed particularly in the city of Athensin which every citizen was involved in the exercise of power.
This democracy It was the direct ancestor of participatory democracy.
This last attempts to solve the dilemmas of representative democracythat is, one in which political representatives are elected to make decisions on behalf of the people.
You may find useful: Athenian Democracy
Objective of participatory democracy
The objective of this form of government is, precisely, resolve political problems arising from representationwhich have to do with corruption, individual agendas or the distance that is built between the decisions of the representatives and the needs of those they represent.
For example, this more direct democracy prevents the creation of a political class. That is to say, it replaces professional politicians and managers with citizens in many areas of public life.
Forms of participation
To ensure that citizens participate in the running of the State, participatory democracy promotes:
- Decision-making methods. Incorporating citizen voting in the election of their representatives, but at the same time keeping institutional spaces open so that people can ask questions and find out what political decisions mean.
- Forms of implementation of decisions. Through decentralization and decongestion of institutions, thus promoting the self-organization of civil society.
- Social control. Offering citizens the opportunity to ensure that political promises are kept, to supervise the implementation of policies and thus be able to correct, improve or reject them.
- Promoting citizen participation. Through support and incentives for grassroots organization, as occurs in newspapers, radio stations and community publications, democratizing access to communications.
Differences with representative system
The most substantial difference between both forms of democracy lies in that Participatory politics seeks to incorporate citizens into the exercise of power. This prevents it from becoming a passive witness to what the political class decides. In this sense, it represents a step towards Athenian or direct democracy of antiquity.
Representative democracy, on the other hand, is based on a more practical criterion: the population is too large to be directly involved in the running of the nation. Therefore, In the representative system the people govern only through their representativeswhich are freely chosen.
Advantages of participatory democracy
Some of the positive features of participatory democracy are:
- Greater citizen control over the performance of the political class, and more informed decision-making regarding the interests of those who benefit or are harmed.
- Transparency in political affairs is encouraged, and the isolation of political processes, i.e. “black boxes”, is avoided.
- A participatory, more egalitarian environment is encouraged, which does not view politicians as an elite.
Disadvantages of participatory democracy
Some of the weaknesses of participatory democracy are:
- The possibility of not having a parliament offers less space for national debate, which is vital for democracy.
- Majorities could oppress minorities more easily, once in control of the institutions.
- Decision-making takes much longer than in representative democracy, and society can often become bureaucratic.
Participation mechanisms
Citizen participation, not being direct, is handled in an intermediate state that monitors the performance of institutions and has Tools for making complaints, rejections or corrections. Use communication channels such as community media, open government or even digital communications.
The referendum and public consultation are commonly used tools In these democracies, the vote expresses the opinion of the majority on sensitive decisions. However, the exact method in which each government exercises its participatory democracy varies widely according to the culture, history and other features of the society.
Representative democracy
Representative democracy is organized around the idea of efficiency: it is impossible for the exercise of organized political power to be carried out directly by citizens in majority societies. That is why Participation takes place through representative bodies.
Citizens themselves are the ones who provide these bodies with the necessary representation to make decisions on their behalf. For example, A parliament represents those who vote for it to elect its legislators.who in turn will make their decisions on behalf of everyone.
Direct democracy
In direct democracy Citizens must be incorporated into the very tasks of the State administration. Chance determines that they occupy bureaucratic and executive positions when necessary.
To distribute the functions, The ancient Greeks used a lottery mechanism to determine who would temporarily hold public office. It can be considered the democratic form opposite to the representative one.
Countries with participatory democracy
A typical case of participatory democracy is Switzerland.whose participation mechanisms are organized based on the Cantons into which the country is divided. Through referendums or popular consultations, people can determine the policy of the Executive.
Likewise, the emergence of popular legislation is allowedwhich if they gather enough signatures can take their proposals to government bodies.