Compare the cases for Direct and Representative Democracy ,

In your answer you must make three points of comparison and reach an overall conclusion. (8)

A comparison that can be identified between direct and representative democracy is that they both relate to the overall theme of practicality. This is shown by Source A where the source states that, “direct democracy is seen as being practical at a local level” and further evidence of this is that it was used in Ancient Athens and is currently in use in the Swiss Cantons. Representative democracy is shown to be practical in source B where the source goes onto explain that representative democracy is the best sort of democracy for those countries with much larger populations. This is because the democracy is seen to work more effectively and practically in modern society.” Overall this shows that direct democracy is only practical in small scale situations whereas for representative democracy to work best and effectively it needs to work in modern governments that manage complex societies.

Another comparison that can be made between both direct and representative democracy is that they are both linked to the theme of participation. This can be further shown in source A, “voters have responsibilities to directly make decisions through the frequent use of referenda.” Furthermore evidence of this is that in many of the US states are given a select about of opportunities to have a direct say over key decisions. Representative democracy is then shown to be linked to participation because in source B it states, “Popular participation in government is infrequent and brief, most commonly participation is through voting in elections.” Overall this shows that direct democracy is practical in small sized countries where it doesn’t take as much time to sent out or collect votes and therefore are able to hold regular elections whereas representative democracy can only work in larger countries where there is voter participation but a referendum or election cannot be held for every decision that is made due to time scales. 

A next comparison between both forms of direct and representative democracy is that they are both tied into the theme of information. This is shown in source A where the source states, “Guardian editorial piece claimed that the electorate were the most informed at any election in the UK since the second world war.” Evidence of this is also shown in source A as it explains that due to the result of this the problem was sorted and because of this a liberal democrat and conservative coalition remained until the 2015 general election. Representative democracy is also shown to be informative as source B says, “voters legitimize the decisions made by representatives and if the people do not like the decisions that are being made then they can vote the party out at next election.” Overall this shows that direct democracy is practical in smaller populations because they are more likely to receive or see the information via post or advert whereas representative democracy works better in countries with denser populations where they don’t have access to mass amounts of information so therefore they can listen to what their representer wants to do and then can chose which view they agree with most. 

Finally there is a comparison between direct democracy and representative democracy that is that they both link into legitimacy. This is shown in source A where the source quotes, “this outcome will be accepted and potential disputes or civil unrest will be avoided.” Evidence to further show this in source A as the decisions that are made are more likely to be accepted as being fair and the decisions are also more likely to be seen as legitimate. Finally representative democracy is also shown to be legitimate in source B since the source says, “many would not have the knowledge, time or capability to research complex issues. The elected representative acts on their behalf,” overall this shows that direct democracy works best in smaller countries where civil war cannot break out over politics and the law put in place is the peoples view instead of one persons, whereas representative democracy works bets in larger countries because no everyone wants to or is willing to educate themselves on the clause and therefore it is easier for them to be able to listen to a range of opinions and then can choose only one.