In a democratic system of government, the people are ruled by the people. All representative democracies are based on the idea of “representative government”. This means that members of the public are elected (for a limited time) to represent the interests of the people who elected them. In a democracy, if leaders fail to keep the support of the people, they can be removed from power through rules and processes. Also, the fact that citizens elect the parties that ultimately form government means that they have the power to remove ruling parties or keep them in power.
In a democracy, citizens actively participate in government through elections, running for office or other activities. As a result, democracies are characterized by free competition for political power between different individuals and groups. To support this free competition, democracies value and defend personal liberties and rights, such as freedom of speech, assembly, and the press (McLaughlin 2013: 32-33).
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Case Study: Dutch Water Boards Water boards are considered to be the oldest democratic institutions in the Netherlands. From the 13th century onwards, they were established in the lower-lying parts of the country. Nowadays the water boards encompass the whole of the country. Their tasks include:
Democratic legitimacy of the water boards is found in the representation of various categories of stakeholders in the governing bodies of water boards. Representatives of the various categories are elected to their positions on the assembly. The water boards’ tasks of water quantity control and flood protection are carried out on the basis of `stakeholder participation’ and of the `benefit principle’. One might call this `a stakeholder democracy’ or a `functional democracy’. These stakeholders categories are:
Those who benefit from the activities of the water board have to pay a tax for its services but receive a proportionate say in the assembly in return (the `interest-pay-say’ triplet). Those who have an interest in the activities bear the costs and have influence on the running of the water board, via elected representatives. Proportionate to his interest, a stakeholder pays a water board tax. The elections are based on the principle of `one person, one vote’. The functional character of the water board is reflected in the constitution of the water board assembly. Every four years, the water board holds elections in each stakeholder category for the water board assembly. The water board has an executive assembly (about 5 seats), which is elected from the general assembly (about 30 seats), and a chairman. The chairman is not elected but appointed by the Monarch. Source: The Dutch Water Board Model |
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Democratic Functions of Political Parties International IDEA International highlights the democratic functions of political parties as: Political parties develop policies and programmes. This is the content side of their responsibility. It ensures that there are different choices in the political marketplace – not only in terms of candidates but also in terms of ideas. Once in government, a party can start implementing these ideas. Parties pick up demands from society and bundle them into packages. Demands are numerous and sometimes conflicting. Parties are able to discuss and evaluate these issues and shape human needs into policy alternatives. In so doing they are an important part of the political process. Parties are the main vehicles for recruiting and selecting people for government and legislative office. Although they are often criticized for filling posts with their own people, this is what they are supposed to do: high level public positions, that is, those considered political rather than technical, need to be filled somehow and parties provide a responsible vehicle for that. Parties either oversee or control government depending on whether they are in government or opposition. |