Citizen Participation

Q: Can citizens participate in how their government runs things? A: It depends on which country they live in.

Can citizens participate in their country’s government?

How Citizens May or May Not Participate in Gov’t:

The citizen has no role in government. Autocracy One person possesses unlimited power. The citizen has no role in government.

How Governments Determine Citizen Participation Autocratic The oldest form of government. Very common form of government The person in charge keeps power through military force Remy, Richard C., United States Government- Democracy in Action (Columbus, OH: Glencoe, McGraw-Hill, 2006) 6

Autocrats: Louis XIV & Adolf Hitler

Oligarchy >Government by a few wealthy people >Can be corrupt >The citizen has a very limited role.

Oligarchy The group gets its power from military power, wealth, religion * Opposition is usually stomped out Examples- Communist countries such as China. Remy, Richard C., United States Government- Democracy in Action (Columbus, OH: Glencoe, McGraw-Hill, 2006) 9

Autocracy & Oligarchy Sometimes claim they rule for the people. In reality, the people have very little say in both types of government. Examples- May hold elections with only one candidate or control the results in various ways. Examples- Even when these governments have a legislature or national assembly, they often only approve decisions made by the leaders. Remy, Richard C., United States Government- Democracy in Action (Columbus, OH: Glencoe, McGraw-Hill, 2006) 10

Democracy A government where the people rule through voting. The citizen has the power through voting.

There are two kinds of democracies: 1) Parliamentary Ex: The UK with its parliament Skip five lines 2) Presidential Ex: The US with its president

How Governments Determine Citizen Participation High Participation High Participation Select Citizens’ Participation General Citizens’ Participation Government Power Citizen Participation Government Power Government Power Citizen Participation Low or No Participation Low or No Participation Low or No Participation Autocratic Oligarchic Democracy