Representative Democracy and Direct Democracy



Direct or Representative? Topics.
•Is Representative Democracy in Crisis? (Blokker)
•But What Actually is „Representative Democracy“? (3 stages, basic principles).
•Pros
•Cons
•What values might be better served by the respektive forms of democracy?
•Philosophical and Political Context

Principles (or Benchmarks?) of Representative Democracy
•Election of Representatives in Regular Intervals
•Partial Independence of the Representatives
•Freedom of Public Opinion
•Making Decisions after „Trial by Discussion“

Evolution of Representation
•Parlamentarism (Notables, Deliberation)
•Party Democracy (Stable Party Electorates, Party Discipline) •Audience Democracy (Media Experts,
Less stability, Social Stratification Less Important, Fluidity)
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