Introduction
Representative democracy refers to governments that are established by electing several people to represent a large population. They establish a self-sufficient governing body, which is tasked with protecting the interest of the electorate (Urbanati, 2006).
Constitutional democracies are forms of representative democracies, where regimes are governed by the principle of free and fair elections, in addition, to an aggressive political process. This example of representative democracy allows political pluralism (Kis, 2003). This mode often assumes different constitutional forms; a federal republic, like India, Brazil or Germany, or a constitutional monarchy, like Canada, Spain and Japan. It also provides for a presidential system like Brazil, a semi-presidential system like France, or a Westminster system, which is mostly used by the commonwealth nations.
A republic is defined as a state that allows a section of the subjects to have dominion and supreme control of government. It should be noted, that these governments are not led by monarchs, rather, an executive whose mandate is ratified by popular suffrage and a constitutional dispensation (Brandolini, 2009).
Impacts on Democratic Governance
It has been observed that most of the nations operating under constitutional, democratic systems often disregard the will of the majority. After the elections, vested interests resume control of the government, greatly reducing the number of policies passed with the interest of the electorate. Majority will is also constrained by an existing constitution or a previously created precedent. This has led to assertions that liberal democracies are suitable decoys for plutocracies, oligarchies or Plutarch governance systems (Kis, 2003).
Representative democracy has several provisions, which mirror expectations of ideal democracies. They have independent judiciaries, which may adjudicate the legality of legislative acts. Options for deliberative democracies exist through high commissions, but enforcing popular measures is also possible through recall elections and referendums.
Federalism
Federalism refers to a mode of governance where dominion is shared between a central government and the constituent political units. These units may be provinces or states, depending on the mode of government used in a nation. This creates entities called federations, and proponents of this governance style are referred to as federalists (Campbell, 2004). Under separation of powers, the nation is classified in branches. Each branch is allocated unique responsibilities to discharge. These responsibilities are structured in a manner that ensures no branch is superior to the other. The judiciary, executive, and legislature form the most commonly used branches. It was conceived in primeval Greece and was widely used by the Roman Empire (Smith, 2004).
It is commonplace that two levels of government are required in order to have an effective federal system of government. The power structure between the levels should be designed to allow each level some superiority on several issues. Modern practices have revealed a shift from this trend, as shown by President Johnsons Creative federalism. This concept sought to increase the involvement of the central government as they attempted to realize socially tolerable results on several pertinent issues. These included hunger eradication and reducing poverty levels, among others. This did away with the need for justification before the national government was allowed to intervene in state matters.
This era also saw the Supreme Court empowered to intervene in political and judicial matters handled at the state level. This was depicted when the General Assembly of Tennessee was compelled to reapportion legislative districts in order to achieve equal representation of persons. This order was issued by the Supreme Court, which operates at the behest of the national government, and not the regional governance level.
The Nixon and Ford regimes oversaw policies that shifted the authority and responsibility that accompanied allocation of funds to the state governments, in order to manage the intergovernmental grant system. These attempts of state intervention in the management of state affairs continued with President Clinton’s regime, which sought to restructure the systems of power within federal institutions by devolving higher authority to lower levels of government.
Separation of powers
This concept provides for the separation of the arms of government. This protects against abuse of power by applying the concept of checks and balances. In the 18th century, the states applied these laws differently, with states in the north disregarding it unreservedly. This meant that government officials held posts in different institutions, a matter which amounted to conflict of interest. It is noteworthy that states in the south observed this principle to the latter (Ellis, 1993).
Presently, congress is the only body having legislative capacity. This privilege is governed by the ‘no delegation doctrine’. This was illustrated in 1998, when the high court barred congress from allocating President Clinton the authority to veto provisions of a bill before signing it into law. John Marshal, a former Chief justice, who wrote, that while congress was tasked with discharging legislative functions, technical aspects of these bills required expert contribution, introduced a new concept.
Insight gained
It is notable that initial republicans bore many similarities with classical liberalists. This is evidenced by the numerous beliefs they had in common, including reverence for the rule of law and constitutionalism. Ideological differences between the two sides are occasioned by liberty. According to the republicans, policy interventions and laws governing public association do not constitute the lessening of freedom. This is opposite to the liberals, who equate liberty to independence from arbitrary power (Sheldon, 2001).
References
Brandolini, A. (2009). Republics and kingdoms Compared. Massachusetts, MA: Harvard University Press.
Campbell, T. (2004). Separation of powers in practice. California, CA: Stanford University Press.
Ellis, R. (1993). American political cultures. London: Oxford university press.
Kis, J. (2003). Constitutional Democracy. New York, NY: Central University Press.
Sheldon, G. (2001). The Political Philosophy of James Madison. Maryland: John Hopkins University Press.
Smith, J. (2004). Federalism. British Columbia: The University of British Columbia Press.
Urbanati, N. (2006). Representative Democracy Principles & Genealogy. Chicago, CI: The University of Chicago Press.