Democracy and Participation definitions

• Representative democracy: A form of democracy in which voters elect representatives to make political decisions on their behalf. These representatives are then held accountable to the public in regular elections.
• Direct democracy: A form of democracy in which citizens themselves, rather than their representatives make political decisions.

  The most significant modern example of direct democracy is a referendum.
• Legitimacy: Legitimate authority means power that has been legally acquired and is exercised according to the rule of law. A dictator can claim power but not legitimate power.
• Participation crisis: A point at which the public become disengaged from politics and voting levels have fallen so low that the legitimacy of elected governments can be questioned.
• Democratic deficit: When a democracy is not operating effectively because there is a lack of accountability among political bodies and not all citizens can claim equal influence over political decision making.
• Franchise: The right to vote. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries the franchise has gradually been extended so that now the UK has universal adult suffrage. This means that all men and women aged 18 or over have the right to vote in public elections unless they are mentally incapacitated, in prison, or a member of the House of Lords.
• Pluralist democracy: In a pluralist democracy political influence is dispersed among a wide variety of elected and non elected bodies, ensuring that there is fair and transparent competition between rival groups for influence.
• Think tank: A group established in order to generate ideas. Political parties work closely with like minded think tanks in order to develop policy.
• Lobbyist: Lobbyists represent the interests of a particular group or cause and seek to influence politicians in its favour.