Representative and Direct Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Representative and Direct Democracy - Essay Example These systems of governance have many things in common, but despite that, they also have varying differences. The work at hand includes the relevant points linked to the actual differences between representative democracy and direct democracy. In an organization, people are supposed to be encouraged to interact and take their role as integral components of everything that is taking place. In a democratic government, people in as much as possible will have to work out everything for their interest. Policy initiatives will have to be established by the people themselves. There is a form of democracy that allows every member of a group or a nation to take part of the actual decision-making process (Lewis, 2013, p.13). This is a relevant feature of a direct democracy. In this democracy, people, especially those who have right to suffrage are required to take part in the parliament and be part of the making of the law, for instance. This activity might be politically sound if only employed in a small organization, where there is only a considerable number of participating individuals. However, in the case of a country having thousands and millions of people in a population, it might take a longer period of time prior to achieving the actual decision, because everybody, especially those who have established their rights and privileges must be able to take part of the actual making of the law. In other words, it is hard to maintain direct democracy, especially if there is involvement of higher population (Breton, 1997, p.60). Direct democracy was evident in the ancient Athens where especially the free male Athenian citizens at the age of more than 20 had the right to be part of the Assembly (Hansen, 2005, p.45). It is clear that the good thing about direct democracy is its ability to give people the power to decide, especially in voting and choosing their leaders.