Participatory Democracy

stresses the role that participation plays in the development of character

sees participation as the key to the transformation of people from
individual (private) to citizen (public)

Carole Pateman, a noted political theorist argues that participation must be more than the protective adjunct to the institutional arrangements of democratic systems. She makes three key arguments:

1) political participation has a psychological effect on those who participate since by making decisions, citizens develop a sense of responsibility for individual, social, and political action

2) collective decisions are more easily accepted than individual decisions. Since most decisions are "trade offs" if one has participated in the decision they are more likely to see the relationship between the benefit gain and the sacrifice made

3) participation increases the feelings of community and a sense of integration in the community--a sense of identity and group consciousness.


Thus, for classical or participatory theorists, the key function of participation is educational (creating citizens), not instrumental (regime stability)


Thus, classical or participatory theorists argue that plural theorists have fundamentally revised and altered the normative significance of democracy!!!


In part, they argue that representative democracy is really not democracy!!!!!!!