Table of Contents
Definition of Representative Democracy
(noun) A democratic political system whereby an individual is elected by popular vote by the people to represent their interests.
Examples of Representative Democracy
Representative Democracy Pronunciation
Syllabification: rep·re·sen·ta·tive de·moc·ra·cy
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /rep-ri-zEn-tuh-tiv di-mAHk-ruh-see/
- British English – /re-pri-zEn-tuh-tiv di-mOk-ruh-see/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˌrɛprəˈzɛntətɪv dɪˈmɑkrəsi/
- British English – /ˌrɛprɪˈzɛntətɪv dɪˈmɒkrəsi/
Usage Notes
- Plural: representative democracies
- Representative democracy is contrasted to direct democracy.
- A type of democracy, government, and political system.
- Also called:
- indirect democracy
- representational democracy.
Additional Information
- Politics and Policy Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “representative” and “democracy” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Berman, Larry, and Bruce Allen Murphy. 2013. Approaching Democracy. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
- Dahl, Robert A. 1989. Democracy and its Critics. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
- Dasgupta, Samir, and Jan Nederveen Pieterse, eds. 2009. Politics of Globalization. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
- Duncan, Graeme Campbell, ed. 1983. Democratic Theory and Practice. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University.
- Fukuyama, Francis. 2014. Political Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
- Goodin, Robert E. 2008. Innovating Democracy: Democratic Theory and Practice after the Deliberative Turn. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Jaquette, Jane S., and Sharon L. Wolchik, eds. 1998. Women and Democracy: Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
- Landman, Todd, and Neil Robinson, eds. 2009. The SAGE Handbook of Comparative Politics. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
- Lane, Jan-Erik, and Svante O. Ersson. 1999. Politics and Society in Western Europe. 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
- Lively, Jack. 1975. Democracy. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
- Mills, C. Wright. 1956. The Power Elite. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Nagle, John D., and Alison Mahr. 1999. Democracy and Democratization: Post-communist Europe in Comparative Perspective. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
- Przeworski, Adam. 1993. Democracy and the Market: Political and Economic Reforms in Eastern Europe and Latin America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Rodrik, Dani. 2012. The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of the World Economy. New York: Norton.
- Schumpeter, Joseph Alois. 1943. Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy. London: Routledge.
- Singh, Robert. 2003. American Government and Politics: A Concise Introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
- Tocqueville, Alexis de. 1835. Democracy in America.
- Wolin, Sheldon S. 2010. Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
- Introduction to Sociology/Politics – Wikibooks: wikibooks.org
- Theories of Democracy – Sociology: boundless.com
Related Terms
Works Consulted
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Downs, Anthony. 1957. An Economic Theory of Democracy. New York: Harper Collins.
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Cite the Definition of Representative Democracy
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “representative democracy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 18, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/representative-democracy/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
representative democracy. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/representative-democracy/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “representative democracy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 18, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/representative-democracy/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“representative democracy.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 20153. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/representative-democracy/>.