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Participatory democracy is a model of democracy in which citizens have the power to decide directly on policy and politicians are responsible for implementing those policy decisions.

Pluralist democracy is a model of democracy in which no one group dominates politics and organized groups compete with each other to influence policy.

Elite democracy is a model of democracy in which a small number of people, usually those who are wealthy and well-educated, influence political decision making.

Models of democracy

When the United States was founded, the Founders created a democratic republic, a system of government in which the power to govern comes from the people, but elected officials represent their interests. This system of government allows American citizens to participate in government in many ways.

The United States also has many different levels and branches of government that any citizen or group might approach. Many people take this as evidence that US citizens, especially as represented by competing groups, can influence government actions. Some political theorists, however, argue that this is not the case. These different opinions have sprouted three popular models of democracy: participatory, pluralist, and elite.

We can see each model of democracy in the American government today. In this article, we'll define participatory, pluralist, and elite democracy and describe examples of each.

Participatory democracy

A participatory democracy is a model of democracy in which citizens have the power to make policy decisions. Participatory democracy emphasizes the broad participation of people in politics.

However, this is not a direct democracy, in which citizens are directly responsible for making policy decisions. In a participatory democracy, citizens can influence policy decisions, but do not make them. Politicians are still responsible for implementing those policy decisions. The United States does not have a pure participatory democracy, but at some levels of government, we can see examples of a participatory democracy playing out.

Examples of participatory democracy today

We can see participatory democracy in local and state forms of government, where citizens have multiple access points to influence policymakers. Town hall meetings are a way for local and national politicians to meet with constituents to hear their opinions on topics they are interested in or to discuss upcoming legislation.

Initiatives and referendums are two ways in which local and state governments allow for citizens to influence policy decisions. An initiative is a process that allows citizens to bypass their state legislature by placing proposed laws on the ballot. Some states even allow citizens to place constitutional amendments on the ballot.

Only 24 states have an initiative process. Nevada is one of those states, and in 2016, the state of Nevada voted on Nevada Background Checks for Gun Purchases, Question 1 which would require individuals who intend to purchase guns from someone who does not have a firearms license to undergo a background check.

A popular referendum, on the other hand, allows voters to approve or repeal an act of the state legislature. Similar to initiatives, voters sign a petition to get the measure on the next ballot, but popular referendums differ in that the law in question has already passed in the state legislature. In 2016, Maine conducted a referendum vote on a measure that would outlaw hunting bears after baiting them with doughnuts. Because doughnuts are so popular for controlling Maine's bear population, voters overwhelmingly defeated the measure.

Both initiatives and referendums show how local and state governments allow for the broad participation of voters to influence policymaking. Elected representatives are then responsible for enacting the decisions of their constituents.

Pluralist democracy

Pluralist democracy is a model of democracy in which no single group dominates politics and organized groups compete with each other to influence policy. We see examples of pluralist democracy at both the state level and the federal level. As in a participatory democracy, anyone can participate in influencing political decisions, but in a pluralist democracy, individuals work through groups formed around common causes.

Theorists who back pluralist democracy argue that people self-select which causes they want to spend their time on and then support those groups. Those groups then compete over gaining support from notable politicians who will advocate their interests.

Examples of pluralist democracy today

The most notable example of pluralist democracy in the American political system is the role that interest groups play in political decisions today. Interest groups are groups of people who attempt to influence policymakers to support their position on a particular common interest or concern.

We'll go into more detail about interest groups later in the course, but for now, what you need to know is that groups like the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the National Organization for Women (NOW) influence policymakers in many ways. They influence politicians through monetary donations, lobbying, and testifying in Congressional hearings.

Interest groups are an example of pluralist democracy because people join groups that are focused on issues that they care about.

Elite democracy

Elite democracy is a model of democracy in which a small number of people, usually those who are wealthy or well-educated, influence political decisionmaking. Advocated by some of the Framers, like Alexander Hamilton, the elite democratic model argues that participation in politics should be limited to a small group of highly-informed individuals who can make the best decisions for all citizens.

Examples of elite democracy today

We can see the influence of elite democracy today in the structure of the Electoral College. Although the people popularly elect a presidential candidate, the Electoral College serves as a check on the potential tyranny of the majority. In US history, there have been three presidential elections in which the people popularly elected one candidate for president, but the other candidate won the Electoral College and therefore the presidency.

The Electoral College is an example of elite democracy because it places a small group in charge of making major political decisions, even if those decisions contradict the popular will.

Review questions

Marty learns that his city's mayor plans to replace a historic clock tower. He opposes this plan, and organizes a group of local residents in a Save the Clock Tower initiative. Which model of democracy best represents Marty's actions?

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Types of democracy (article) | Khan Academy

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I think interest groups best illustrate pluralism because interest groups are organized groups that compete to influence policy. Pluralism is exactly that. Not one group has full power, but instead, multiple groups can rise up and influence policy decisions.

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Interest groups best illustrate pluralism today. An interest group is a group of people who work for a common goal and causes. Pluralism allows for everyone to get the chance to influence policy decisions. An interest group that is for climate change would be able to have an equal chance to influence the government as an interest group against it allowing for competition to gain support.

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I believe that Interest groups illustrate pluralism. "... a model of democracy in which no single group dominates politics and organized groups compete with each other to influence policy".

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Interest groups best illustrate this form of democracy. The pluralism democracy says that no single group controls everything, rather every and all groups are competing with one another, counterbalancing and bringing an equilibrium in power and influence. In interest groups, no one single group such as the NRA, NAACP, or the NOW has total influence on the government. Every group that is able to lobby politicians has the ability to influence the government. There might be some more powerful groups, but in the end, no single group completely affects the government. That's how the pluralist democracy is the type of democracy interest groups best illustrate today.

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I believe interest groups best demonstrate pluralism because although some interest groups have more say than others, no interest groups completely dominates politics. Rather, they all compete for political influence.

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Interest groups illustrate the pluralist theory today. There are many interest groups that compete with each other over the policy agenda. They don't show the participatory theory because it's not really the people themselves influencing policy, but the people supporting those who influence policy. I also don't think it's elitism because although more money is undeniably more power, and some groups are more prominent than others, there are enough interest groups with power to have healthy competition between them.

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Interest groups show pluralism because they are organized groups competing for influence on policy decisions, which is the definition of pluralist democracy.

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Interest groups illustrate the Pluralist democracy because interest groups work to influence policymakers to support their common interest. The Pluralist democracy is a model of democracy in which no group dominates in politics, they compete to influence policy. Interest groups and pluralism both share the same idea of competing to influence policy.

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I believe interest groups today are best illustrated by a pluralist democracy. There are many interest groups that exist and compete to influence policy in various, sometimes polarizing ways. There is not one group that dominates another, and for different topics, there are different groups with different views, willing to advocate for them. People are able to select what they value and what they choose to support. In contrast to the other two theories, pluralism does not give the power to only rich politicians to implement decisions, but also does not give that power to only the people.

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I believe that interest groups best illustrate pluralism today because pluralism is a model of democracy where no one group dominates policies and interest groups are groups that work to influence policy as much as they can. They all aim to influence different issues and policies resulting in not just one group dominating influencing all policies.

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Today, interest groups today best illustrate pluralist democracy. Pluralist democracy is when organized groups compete with each other to influence policy which is exactly what interest groups are. Interest groups are are groups that influence policymakers to benefit whatever cause/concerns they have which proves they illustrate a pluralist democracy because they compete with other groups to gain support from politicians who will advocate for them.

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Interest groups demonstrate pluralism at its finest. There are tons of interest groups participating in politics and government to influence policy. No one group has all the power and "dominates politics". They all target specific issues and advocate for their policy priorities.

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I think that Pluralism was shown in the interest groups because they were all competing with each other for power and influence over congress so they can get advocate for their issue.

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Interest groups exemplify pluralism in American democracy. A pluralist system relies on balanced, organized interests as a means to disperse power among citizens and ensure that no single entity or unmanaged populace hoards all of the control. In America, interest groups are a means of advocating for specific causes and having some measure of influence over the government. For example, groups like the NRA and the Americans for Gun Safety Foundation provide spaces for people with opposing ideological standings to have significant, theoretically balanced influence.

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Pluralist democracy is what interest groups demonstrate most. Interest groups are formed around specific issues that they work to gain support. There are many of these interest groups, so many that most opinions are able to be expressed without having any single group dominating. Their members have many ways to influence politics by being in the group, like donations, education, and mobilizing the people.

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Interest groups best illustrate Pluralism as the most power to effectively change the outcome of government decisions does not solely fall upon the most wealthy groups. The group that can make the difference is the one that capitalizes on strategies such as gaining public recognition or working to spread a viewpoint people are likely to join during certain times.

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I definitely think that interest group demonstrate pluralism the most. Interest groups are organized groups that have influence, and unlike elite, all of the influence is not given to those that are wealthy and well-educated.

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Pluralism is best demonstrated in interest groups. Pluralism is a type of democracy where there is a equal contribution when it comes to a group's contribution to policies. Interest groups are groups that try their best to influence a policy (pluralist democracy).

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Interest groups demonstrate pluralism. Pluralism is a model of democracy where organized groups compete to influence policy, and no single group is dominant. I think this is demonstrated by interest groups because each interest group support and advocate for a specific cause/issue and try to influence politics to help spread awareness for that cause/issue, which pluralism stands for.