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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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Learn for free about math, art, computer programming, economics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, finance, history, and more. Khan Academy is a nonprofit with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.

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I believe that Pluralism is shown by interest groups the most today. This is because Interest Groups all compete with each other for power and influence over congress to advocate for an issue they support. No one group is too dominant over any of the others.

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I think that in theory, interest groups are participatory or pluralist, but in reality are elitism. I say this because while legally, they hold no real power, their presence is so ingrained, and their connections so solid they have consistent, practical effects on government. In this way, they are elitist as they have lots of money, and lots of influence. - Anderson

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I think that in theory, interest groups are participatory or pluralist, but in reality are elitism. I say this because while legally, they hold no real power, their presence is so ingrained, and their connections so solid they have consistent, practical effects on government. In this way, they are elitist as they have lots of money, and lots of influence. - Anderson

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Interest groups best illustrate the pluralism theory of democracy. There are many different interest groups that work for their own causes and try to influence government. Some groups have much more influence than others, but it is still not elitism since groups themselves consist of many people.

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I think that intrest group best illistrate elitism. Intrest groups run on money, so the idividuals who donate the most have the largest influence. They are able to support groups of thier choosing and give them the resources to acomplish a goal.

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The theory of pluralism describes the process of people with common interests creating a group and having their desires known by the government. Interest groups, especially the powerful ones, have a lot of power over how the government functions. - Natan

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The theory of pluralism describes the process of people with common interests creating a group and having their desires known by the government. Interest groups, especially the powerful ones, have a lot of power over how the government functions. - Natan

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I think that the interest groups best illustrates Pluralist democracy theory, because they are formed around a issue, which then gets the support of a notable politician. Anyone who believes in the similar issue can vouch or join that specific interest group (if there is one), and as the group gets bigger and bigger, a politician will pick that issue up, and legislate for it. However, take note, that there are many, many of these interest groups, all forming around different issues and aspects of the world. Each will compete with one and another, so that they will gain the favor of one politician to support their clause. To me, this seems much like the pluralist democracy, where groups compete to gain politicians who will advocate for their interest.

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I think that interest groups best show the pluralist theory of democracy at work today. Interest groups are formed to influence policy makers in order to support their position on certain topic. Interest groups are competing with one another to try and gain the favor of different politicians so they will advocate their ideas in Congress. The pluralist theory states that many groups will compete in order to influence policy which is exactly what is being done by interest groups.

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Interest groups can be described best as a pluralist democracy. This is because interest groups cover a broad scope of voters and anybody can contribute to an interest group. The soul purpose of interest groups is to push for legislation on what they believe in. So, there are going to be many different groups that compete with each other, which fits the definition of a pluralist democracy.

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I believe that elitism best represents our current system of interest groups. Rich people have a larger amount of power to influence the interest groups, even though people can still band together and form interest groups. It is hard for smaller interest groups to grow without funding, and even if they have public support or interest a group which advocates for lower class interests will not be afforded the same privileges other ones have unless someone decides it is in their best interest to fund it.

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I think that interest groups best represent a participatory government because everyone is allowed to join an interest group and greatly influence policy, but in the end it is still up to the lawmakers.

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Pluralism is the theory which can best describe current interest groups. There are already a multitude of interest groups, each interested in their own ideas. That's why they are usually specialized in an area of policies. Each are pushing for their own agendas, competing with other groups for their input on policies.

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i think that interest groups best illustrate pluralism today. while most interest groups could be representations of elitism because of the impact money has involving interest groups, interest groups show more resemblance with pluralism. there are a multitude of interest groups. out of those interest groups, groups with the same or similar beliefs they will work together to get a candidate elected that supports their beliefs. they will also work against competition in order to reach their goal which is the basis of pluralism.

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I think pluralism is most relevant to interest groups because we have a lot of competing groups with differing ideas and opinions on policies. Even if some groups have more influence, any group can make a difference, so it is not elitism. These interest group compete for power and influence in policymaking.

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I think interest groups today best illustrate pluralism because of the amount of interest groups and the fact that the people in these groups work together to influence policy. Additionally, there are no groups that dominate politics- interest groups are for the the most part balanced and formed around different issues.

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I think interest groups best illustrates Elitism because a lot of interest groups have funding to advertise and can create pacs. They have people who give them money for advocating their views which makes them wealthy. In addition bigger interest groups have more of an influence on congress because they no more people in power which helps their agenda, making them powerful as well. Most interest groups chose to donate (indirectly) or endorse/ support either the republican or the democratic parties, putting 3rd parties at an disadvantage, meaning interest groups use their power and money to weed out smaller, less wealthy candidates. Interest groups are small in comparison to the people who live in America and support them.

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I think that interests groups best represent pluralism in government today. I say this because there are many differing interest groups out there fighting for their own laws or opposing laws depending on which group you are in. However there is no one group has that much power over all the rest, each group has enough power and strength to get their voices heard and have change in our government. All interests groups have the power to change therefor making it pluralism.

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I believe interest groups show the use of elitism democracy the most. This is because interest groups them selves need and run on money, this money comes from the people that support the interest groups. This also gives way for wealthy people to use their money for their own influence in the interest groups that they prioritize.

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This theory best aligns with interest groups because interest groups influence policy making significantly and politicians create those policies. Since interest groups are just citizens with a common interest and almost anyone can join if they support the cause, it reflects participatory theory. Interest groups also aren't direct and work hard to influence instead and have their interests heard by politicians.

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I think Interest groups best represent a pluralist democracy. Interest groups are groups of people with common goals that work to gain attention from congress to get their policy or their interest supported in the government. In a pluralist democracy, many groups compete to influence policy, and that is exactly what interest groups do. For example, there can be conflicting interest groups where one is for and another is against abortion, so they will compete with each other to influence policy and gain congress' attention, but the groups are pretty equal, no one dominates another completely.

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I personally think the Pluralist model of democracy is what interest groups illustrate. The main thing about interest groups is that they are always competing with other groups for policies that benefits them. I don't think Elitism quite fits because money is not always the deciding factor, and there are many instances that show this. While citizens do have some influence, they are still only a small part of it, and the competition aspect is still most important.

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not technically what the question is asking, but the electoral college is also this

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I think the participatory model best fits interest groups because citizens themselves get to choose what groups they want to support. They can support a group based on their policy in order to try to get policies they want enacted.

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I think that Pluralism best illustrates interest groups today because there are many that exist, each seeking for recognition at an (ideally) national level. With a pluralist democracy, the interest groups compete with one another to appeal to the community members. This way, they attract people that support their goals and other people who have an interest for it.