Representative democracy

A form of government in which citizens elect representatives to make laws and public decisions on their behalf. Elections connect popular authorization to governing institutions while leaving representatives discretion between votes.

Electoral system: The rules that translate votes into elected offices or legislative seats. Electoral rules determine how citizen votes select representatives and shape the legislature.
Direct democracy: A system in which citizens vote directly on laws or public decisions rather than acting only through elected representatives. It shifts final decisions from elected lawmakers to citizens voting on particular measures.
Magna Carta: A 1215 charter that limited the English king’s authority and established certain legal protections for free men. Its bargaining over taxation and consent foreshadowed later claims that rulers needed authorization.
Iron law of oligarchy: Robert Michels’s theory that complex organizations tend to concentrate power in a small leadership group. It identifies how representative parties and institutions can empower leaders over ordinary members.
Political representation: The relationship in which people or institutions act, speak, or decide on behalf of others. Elected officials represent constituents through more than simply reproducing their preferences.
Deliberative democracy: A democratic approach that gives public reasoning and inclusive discussion a central role in legitimate decision-making. It emphasizes the quality of public deliberation, not just election and delegation.
English Parliament: The legislature of the United Kingdom, historically developed from councils summoned by English monarchs. Its evolution helped establish representative assemblies as institutions capable of checking royal power.
Principal–agent problem: A conflict that arises when an agent’s interests or information differ from those of the person delegating authority. Elected officials may pursue priorities that diverge from the citizens who authorize them.
Legislature: A public body with authority to make laws, typically through elected members. Legislatures are the main institutions where representatives debate and enact laws.
Participatory democracy: A model of democracy that seeks broad, sustained citizen involvement in political decisions. It aims to extend participation beyond choosing representatives at periodic elections.

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