participatory democracy

Or participant democracy

noun

1. individual participation by citizens in political decisions and policies that affect their lives, especially directly rather than through elected representatives.

Word History and Origins

Origin of participatory democracy¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

“Giving effect to the will of the voters would result in no corresponding hardship for Judge Griffin. And there is a tremendous public interest in safeguarding ‘the integrity of our electoral processes,’ which ‘is essential to the functioning of our participatory democracy.’

From Salon

Viva the visionary change agents who have arisen to secure and sustain the generative role of the arts and humanities in our inclusive and participatory democracy, our “land that was made for you and me,” as the Oklahoma bard once exclaimed!

From Salon

Several national professional associations and public employee unions—organizations led by visionary change agents and whose memberships are spread across local communities in all regions—are together championing the generative role of the humanities in a participatory democracy and opposing the dismantling of federal agencies that support the humanities in local communities throughout the nation.

From Salon

Finally, citizens in local communities — rural, suburban, and urban — throughout the nation are also resisting the Trump administration’s reckless dismantling of federal agencies that support inclusive and humanistic participatory democracy.

From Salon

Organized networks connect cities on many topics, such as economic inequality, participatory democracy and peace-building, and responding to climate change is one of the most prominent.

From Los Angeles Times

When To Use

What is participatory democracy?

Participatory democracy happens when individual citizens of a democracy participate in the formation of policies and laws through consistent engagement.Participatory refers to something that involves active participation. Democracy is a form of government in which power is held by the people. If the people themselves vote directly on policies and laws, it is called a direct democracy. If they elect representatives to make laws and policies, it is called a representative democracy. (Most modern, Western-style democracies, including the United States and the United Kingdom, are forms of representative democracies.) The term participatory democracy refers to something somewhere in between: the people elect leaders but also play a role in forming policies.Participatory democracy is all about participation. Its goal is to ensure that all citizens, not just politicians, have a real say in the creation of the rules and programs that make up their government.