Civic participation is essential to the overall health of our nation. A citizen being involved in the government dates back to the origins of our country and have withstood the test of time. Today we are facing record low civic engagement that has created a breeding ground for disgust and distrust between the citizens and the government. The gap between government decision makers and society is growing daily and change is needed to bridge this gap immediately. Many people feel as though they are not represented by the government as a whole or by their elected officials.
In this essay, I will be discussing why something should be done about this situation as well as providing some arguments to justify my stance. I will also discuss what can be done and the degree of feasibility of such methods. Today’s youth have to be kept informed. For true democracy to function, active participation among different stakeholders in the society is important. They provide different opinions to make government policies more suitable for the country.
One of the greatest ways for a citizen to be heard is voting. Whether for local, state, or federal every vote counts and every citizen heard. In the creation of our constitution our nation has evolved from only white, male property owners being allowed to vote, to the passing of the 15th amendment in 1869 allowing every race or color to vote, up to the 1920’s allowing women to have equal rights in the voting process. Being a democracy is what sets us apart from many other nations in this country. Although Americans have the freedom to vote, there are still rules and regulations set forth to make the process a more smooth flowing affair.
Example of democracy is the type of government in the United States. Strengths as democracy: In democratised countries the people have the rights who are elected into any form of government office. These elected person officially make the decisions based on the people want and in the best majority of people. They represent the citizen of country in a way that they could not do for themselves. If someone has an issue or something that they feel should change then they can easily access their local elected person at their office and that person can help them with their problems and guide them through the steps they need to take to get it to the next level of government.
We see examples of popular sovereignty all over the world today, from Scotland wanting to become independent from the United Kingdom through peaceful government processes to Ukrainian revolutions within the country. The world today is quickly shaping to be more focused on popular sovereignty because more people want a governing system that mimics one of the United States’ doctrine and ideals. People want a government in which all people are considered equal and have individual worth. They want a government that isn’t tyrannical and a government in which the populace has a say in government affairs. Essentially they want equality and freedom, although that entails having popular sovereignty because these people want to have a voice.
Individuals throughout a community can do much more locally than a government can. Perspective 2, “Governments are, by nature, composed of individuals working as a team. Governments can solve major problems because they harness the power of individuals.” could be correct if all
The major argument is based on two major aspects one being manipulation of systems and institutions by executive and less separation of power among the three major arms of Government; Judiciary, Executive and Legislature. (Byaruhanga J 2013) In a democratic state, the citizens are entitled to: Participation, the fundamental role of citizens in a democratic government is to participate in public sphere especially by exercising their right to vote during any election. And in order for people to vote wisely it is necessary that each citizen listens to the views of different parties and candidates and then makes his or her own decision on whom to vote for or political party to
With voting privileges, the government represents the entire population, not just a few people considered to be high ranking in society. Furthermore, Beer (2009), mentions in her article that gender equality is heavily linked to democratic societies. Democratic societies provide more opportunities for women through means of voting as they have a direct say in policies regarding themselves. Whereas in non-democratic societies, the people in power rarely represent women as equally as men, which eventually leads to policies being made either oppressing women or not even taking them into consideration. Beer’s article also mentions a study, that found out that countries that have had equal voting rights for a longer period of time also had a higher female population, greater female life expectancy compared to men, and higher rates of female labor force participation.
This allows for economic actors to have more freedom in their decisions and greater influence in the economic policies of the government. Whereas autocratic regimes have strict barriers to entry in the policymaking process, democracies have small barriers. Regular, free and fair elections and peaceful transition of power: reduce uncertainty for political actors and their policies, which in turn lead to greater certainty in the economic institutions. Generally, autocracies lack free and fair elections, and as a result there is a level of uncertainty towards them and their policies. There is no means of legitimate removal from power to incite these governments to follow through with beneficial policies.
As a form of government democracy has some advantages and also some disadvantages. But in a country like Bangladesh you mostly have to suffer the demerits of democracy. Many political thinker defined “State” in different ways. State is mainly a organized unit of a particular portion of mankind (Burgess, 1890). On the other hand government A group of people that governs a