Purposes for which the People establish democratic government are the protection and promotion of their rights, interests, and welfare.Democracy requires that each individual be free to participate in the political community’s self-government. Thus political freedom lies at the heart of the concept of democracy.
•••Emma Espejo/Moment/GettyImages
Four Basic Theories of Democracy
While democracy is something we associate as part of the foundation of our American ideals, it is actually the Greeks who are often credited with its creation. The principles of democracy, originally named the Greek word 'demokratia,” which translates to 'rule of the people,' dramatically changed the foundation for the relationship between government and its people.
Democracy is a complex concept that centers on ensuring freedom for all citizens within a country. In contrast to a dictatorship, a democracy allows for feedback and input directly from its citizens. To provide context for democracy, political theorists created democratic models that captured societal ideals. The four main theories of democracy are Protective, Pluralist, Developmental and Participatory. These theories are considered to be central to democratic governments. These theories focus on individual engagement in the political process, the rationale for governmental involvement and how it connects with societal needs.
Protective
Rooted in liberalism, the protective theory believes government exists to protect the rights of individual citizens. Governmental involvement in the lives of citizens should be focused on protecting material wealth and maintaining a free market. A protective democracy acknowledges there will be an imbalance in wealth and assumes the elite will be in power. Broad-based civic engagement is discouraged unless it is related to protecting civil liberties.
Pluralist
The pluralist theory suggests that democracy, or power, should be dispersed among a variety of specialized groups, often special interests. Pluralists believe that citizens are disinterested in becoming involved. Those who are engaged do so through smaller political groups. Governmental leadership rests in the hands of those who are elected, and they are generally considered elite. Special interest groups play an important role and jockey for power in areas related to specific issues and values.
Developmental
Developmental democracy assumes the best about society. Under this theory, citizens are engaged in civic issues and focused on what is best for society as a whole, and democracy is connected to morality. As citizens become involved in government, they acquire an understanding and appreciation of what is needed to improve services and communities. Engaged citizens are responsible community members. The developmental theory acknowledges the need for elected officials but believes the people are responsible for selection and oversight of their work.
Participatory
Participatory democracy emerged in the 1960s and focuses on retooling government to encourage more citizen involvement. During this time, student activism was common and issues such as the Vietnam War and civil rights provided an avenue for engagement. Advocates for participatory government believe that non-governmental agencies, such as corporations, have too much control over the welfare of their employees. The main idea of this theory is to provide more involvement and control over all governmental laws and non-governmental rules pertaining to American citizens.
Democratic leadership, also known as participative leadership or shared leadership, is a type of leadership style in which members of the group take a more participative role in the decision-making process. This type of leadership can apply to any organization, from private businesses to schools to government.
Everyone is given the opportunity to participate, ideas are exchanged freely, and discussion is encouraged. While the democratic process tends to focus on group equality and the free flow of ideas, the leader of the group is still there to offer guidance and control. The democratic leader is charged with deciding who is in the group and who gets to contribute to the decisions that are made.
Researchers have found that the democratic leadership style is one of the most effective types and leads to higher productivity, better contributions from group members, and increased group morale.
Characteristics
Some of the primary characteristics of democratic leadership include:
What Is The Democratic Theory
Researchers suggest that good democratic leaders possess specific traits that include:
Strong democratic leaders inspire trust and respect among followers. They are sincere and base their decisions on their morals and values. Followers tend to feel inspired to take action and contribute to the group. Good leaders also tend to seek diverse opinions and do not try to silence dissenting voices or those that offer a less popular point of view.
Benefits
![]() Drawbacks
Benefits
Because group members are encouraged to share their thoughts, democratic leadership can lead to better ideas and more creative solutions to problems. Group members also feel more involved and committed to projects, making them more likely to care about the end results. Research on leadership styles has also shown that democratic leadership leads to higher productivity among group members.
Drawbacks
While democratic leadership has been described as the most effective leadership style, it does have some potential downsides. In situations where roles are unclear or time is of the essence, democratic leadership can lead to communication failures and uncompleted projects. In some cases, group members may not have the necessary knowledge or expertise to make quality contributions to the decision-making process. Democratic leadership can also lead to team members feeling like their opinions and ideas aren't taken into account, which may lower employee satisfaction and morale.
Doyle Democratic Peace TheoryBest Setting to Use Democratic Leadership
Democratic leadership works best in situations where group members are skilled and eager to share their knowledge. It is also important to have plenty of time to allow people to contribute, develop a plan, and then vote on the best course of action.
Famous Examples
Throughout U.S. history, there have been many companies and leaders who have applied democratic/participative leadership, including:
Additional Reading
Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |