Why is Participatory Democracy Important?
1. Citizen Empowerment
It empowers the citizens by providing them a direct entry in the decision-making process. It is not merely representation as the citizens actively participate in making the policies.
2. Increased Legitimacy
The policies are directly formed by the citizens for themselves which means the legitimacy of the government and policies is higher. Then the chances that the citizens of the nation will abide by it also increases.
3. Better Policy Outcomes
A variety of views and recommendations will result in a well-informed policy making. By using the knowledge of all the empowered citizens collectively, the government can develop more effective policies that fulfil the needs of all the citizens of the nation.
4. Accountability
The elected government is directly accountable to the people. Even though the decisions are made by the citizens of the nation, they also have the ability to keep check on government actions and hold officials accountable for their choices.
5. Innovation and Creativity
This kind of democracy promotes creativity and innovation by letting people take part in the decision-making process. It allows them to look for alternative solutions for complex issues.
6. Increased Transparency
This kind of democracy encourages accountability and openness as the public is able to participate in the decision-making process. It guarantees that choices are made in the public interest rather than just personal gain and it also helps in the prevention of corruption.
Participatory Democracy : Means, Component, & Importance
Rather than choosing a representative to represent them in politics, people of a country with a participatory democracy or Direct democracy actively participate in policy-making. As an experiment, this kind of democracy has been imposed on countries such as Brazil, Uruguay, Iceland, New Zealand, and Switzerland.
In this article, we’ll be learning more about participatory democracy, its components, and its functioning.
Table of Content
- Components of Participatory Democracy
- Participatory Democracy
- Historical Evolution of Participatory Democracy
- Why is Participatory Democracy Important?
- What are the ways to Increase People’s Participation?
- Difference Between Representative Democracy and Participatory Democracy
- Participatory Democracy: A New Feature of Political Participation