What is the Difference Between Direct Democracy and Representative Democracy

The main difference between direct democracy and representative democracy is that direct democracy is a form of democracy where all laws and policies are created by a general vote of society while representative democracy is a form of democracy where citizens vote on representatives to create laws and policy on behalf of them.

Democracy is a form of government in which citizens have the power and authority to choose their governing legislation. There are two main forms of democracy as direct democracy and representative democracy.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Direct Democracy 
     – Definition, System, Pros and Cons
2. What is Representative Democracy
     – Definition, System, Pros and Cons
3. What is the Difference Between Direct Democracy and Representative Democracy
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Democracy, Direct Democracy, Representative Democracy

What is Direct Democracy

Direct democracy, also known as a pure democracy, is a form of democracy where citizens govern directly. In this form of democracy, all laws and policies of governments are determined by the people themselves, without any intermediary. Moreover, all citizens have the power to vote on all laws, bills and even court decisions.

Figure 1: Landsgemeinde (public, non-secret ballot voting system operating by majority rule) is a form of Direct Democracy

Ancient Athens is the best example of direct democracy. In Athenian democracy, all citizens except women, immigrants and slaves, voted on all major issues of the government. If we look at countries in the modern world, Switzerland is an example of a country that practices a form of direct democracy.  The vote of the general public can veto any law enacted by the nation’s elected legislative branch. In addition to these, citizens can vote to require the national legislature to consider amendments to the Swiss constitution.

Furthermore, the main advantage of direct democracy is that it allows a greater degree of transparency and openness. However, this governance form may prove to be inefficient for a country with a high population.

What is Representative Democracy

Representative democracy is a form of democracy wherein citizens of a state vote on representatives to create laws and policy on behalf of them. Representative democracy is also known as indirect democracy. Moreover, representative democracy is the direct opposite of direct democracy. In this form of democracy, citizens do not directly involve in creating laws and policies and other government matters. Instead, they vote and select officials who perform these duties on their behalf. Nearly all modern democracies are representative democracies. The United States, the United Kingdom, France and India are some countries with such a democratic system.

Figure 2: The U.S. House of Representatives is an example of Representative Democracy

Furthermore, the powers of the elected officials are curtailed by the constitution of the country, which establishes the basic laws, policies and framework of the government. However, officials or representatives elected through citizens’ vote also have the power to select other representatives and government leaders such as a president and prime minister. Besides, an independent judiciary body, such as the Supreme Court, has the power to declare laws enacted by the representatives as unconstitutional.

Representative democracy has both advantages and disadvantages. While this type of democracy is efficient and empowers people (as people can select representatives who can make their voices heard by the national government), it is not always reliable since representatives may not always reflect the will of the people. Moreover, representatives may misuse their power and position, leading to massive-scale corruption.

Difference Between Direct Democracy and Representative Democracy

Definition

Direct democracy is a form of democracy where all laws and policies are created by a general vote of society, while representative democracy is a form of democracy where citizens vote on representatives to create laws and policy on behalf of them.

Need for an Intermediary

In a direct democracy, there are no intermediaries; the vote of the citizens directly determine all laws and policies of governments. In contrast, in a representative democracy, people elect representatives to create and amend laws and policies on their behalf.

Transparency

Moreover, direct democracy has a greater degree of transparency and openness than representative democracy. It is because elected officials in a representative democracy may not always reflect the voice of the people; they may tend to misuse their power.

Efficiency

Representative democracy may be more efficient and practical than direct democracy. It is because citizens voting on all government issues may require a considerable amount of time and resources. Especially, this is true in cases of countries having large populations like India and the United States.

Examples

Ancient Athens and Switzerland are perfect examples of direct democracy while the United States, the United Kingdom, France and India are some examples of representative democracy.

Conclusion

Democracy is a form of government in which citizens have the power and authority to choose their governing legislation. Moreover, direct democracy and representative democracy are the two main forms of democracy. The main difference between direct democracy and representative democracy is that in direct democracy, citizens govern directly, without and intermediaries whereas, in a representative democracy, citizens vote on representatives who govern the country on behalf of them.

Reference:

1. Longley, Robert. “What Is Representative Democracy? Definition, Pros, and Cons.” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 20 Mar. 2019, Available here.
2. Longley, Robert. “Direct Democracy and the Pros and Cons of Everybody Voting.” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 7 July 2019, Available here.
3. “Representative Democracy.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2019, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Landsgemeinde Trogen 1814” By Mock, Johann Jakob – (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “USHouseStructure2012-2022 SeatsByState” By ChrisnHouston – File:112USHouseStructure.svg (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia