Comparing Types of Democracy

Political Studies: Edexcel A Level, topic 1.1.5

Comparing Direct & Representative Democracies

There are some similarities between the two types of democracy, but mainly differences in the ways decisions are made.

Both representative and direct democracies are forms of democracy that allow voters to make important decisions.

Each and every voter makes decisions directly in direct democracies.
In representative democracies, a representative makes decisions on behalf of a large number of voters.
In representative democracies like the UK, constituency sizes vary, meaning votes may not be of equal value in practice.
Direct democracy uses public votes to make decisions directly.
In representative democracies, the votes for a representative are taken as a mandate for them to act on behalf of voters.

A mandate is the authority given by voters to a party to implement its policies following an election victory.
In a representative democracy, mandates are inferred from election results rather than direct policy votes.