PYQ Vault · Paper 2 · Contemporary Global Concerns — I
How has the electoral democracy augmented the participation of people in the democratic process?
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes
R1 modern vs ancient democracy = representation → Tocqueville: more participation, more democratic → elections the route people entered public life R2 electoral democracy = a free/fair choice of representatives → the vehicle that widened popular participation → real augmentation, but uneven
Body flow
franchise + secret ballot + open contest → equal say, subjects → participants → participation beyond the vote (office, parties, RTI, civic engagement) → widening real but uneven → Dalton's participation gap (better-off engage, poor under-mobilised) → Peruzzotti (populists ride electoral legitimacy → undermine liberal democracy) → electoral victory can mask shrinking real participation
Counter-view
elections widen participation vs the participation gap + populist instrumentalisation → electoral success # meaningful participation
Conclusion routes
R1 inclusive reforms → Lijphart's proportional systems + civic education + participatory—deliberative forums inside institutions R2 electoral democracy necessary but not sufficient → participation meaningful only when entrenched in institutions
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
