Pros & Cons of Direct Democracy
Political Studies: Edexcel A Level, topic 1.1.2
Advantages of Direct Democracy
There are several advantages to direct democracy, including transparency, accountability and co-ooperation.
Transparency
- Ensures a strong level of openness between citizens and the government.
Wishes of the people
- Direct democracy ensures that the will of the people is clear. So, the government will have a clear directive to act.
Cooperation
- People are more likely to engage in the political process if they believe their opinion will make a difference.
Purest form
- Direct democracy is the ‘purest’ type of democracy and does not involve any interpretation.
Education
- Citizens become educated in key political issues.
- The Alternative Vote Referendum in 2011 educated the public on different kinds of voting.
All votes count equally
- In representative democracies, constituencies may vary in population size.
- Where constituencies are unequal, votes can have unequal value (malapportionment).
- In direct democracies, each vote has equal weight in decision-making.
Disadvantages of Direct Democracy
Direct democracies are impractical and can be manipulated.
Impractical
- A system of direct democracy is too time-consuming, expensive, and may not be practical to make frequent decisions.
- For a big country with millions of citizens, direct democracy is especially difficult.
- The Cabinet Office estimated that the total cost of the 2016 EU Referendum was £142.4m (including the cost of running polling stations and counting votes).
Can be manipulated
- The way in which questions are phrased and the timing of them can manipulate results.
- The wording of the 2016 EU Referendum was changed from "yes/no" to "remain/leave".
- This is because "yes/no" questions may benefit the "yes" side.
- The electorate can be influenced, particularly by influential political figures, campaigns or the media.
- People may vote with their emotions rather than considering all of the options available.
Voters may not be experts
- Direct democracy means the public make important political decisions
- Voters may be less knowledgeable and less able to make an informed decision than a representative politician.
Test yourself on Pros & Cons of Direct Democracy
Which of these is NOT an advantage of direct democracy?
Which of these are advantages of direct democracy?
Which of these is a disadvantage of direct democracy?
How can direct democracy be manipulated?