Democratic System of Governance

The Democratic system of governance is the model usage of citizens or members of the society where they have some level of authority on how they are governed through active participation by voting for policies. The system has four elements which include a political system where citizens have the liberty to choose their government through a free and fair election. The system also advocates for the protection of human rights to all its citizens, active participation of citizens in civic duties and politics and finally a rule of law where there is equality on legal procedures to all citizens (Troolin, Amy).

Like any other system of governance, democracy has both advantages and disadvantages. Among the benefits is the protection of interests of the citizens. In a democratic system of governance, citizens are allowed to vote on political, economic and social issues. They also get to vote on the representatives they want in charge of deciding on them behave. In this, citizens get a say in how the country is run. Another advantage is that the system promotes equality. Equality here means that all rules apply equally to every citizen. All citizens have a right to enjoy equal political, economic and social rights without discrimination by the stated based on the standard of sex, religion, class, and property. The system of governance also has an advantage of preventing monopoly of authority. Citizens get to vote for the government to occupy the office of service after a specified period. The process is not only advantageous as it keeps the people working for the citizens but also prevents one party to rule and acquire so much power such that it would be impossible to get them out of these seats. Other than the above, the system also promotes change in the political environment without having to resolve the issue in violence. In a way, this provides citizens with a good sense of involvement and participation in change ("16 Significant Advantages And Disadvantages Of Democracy").

The disadvantages of this system, however, include wastage of time and misuse of public funds. A lot of time is invested in elections, and the same goes for the money spent on them. A massive budget is set aside for this event after a completion of a term. The money could be spent on other development projects within the country. In any case, the people elected may end up unqualified and as a result, occupy the offices and waste time and resources on tours and recreation other than what they are meant to do in these positions. The other disadvantage is that the system instigates corruption. When an individual is elected to the office, they might see it as an opportunity for personal gains and use unethical means, put their interests first forgetting those of the people who elected them. The system allows citizens not to vote. In some countries, people fail to vote mainly because they may not understand their impact when voting and see the whole process as not important. In a way inhibiting good governance. The decision process might also take longer compared to other systems of governance. As a result, implementation process also takes longer, therefore, dragging the development process ("16 Significant Advantages And Disadvantages Of Democracy").

There are a number of countries that practice this form of governance, and they are good at it. They include; Norway, Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand, Denmark, Canada, Ireland, Switzerland, Finland and Australian on the top ten (Willige, Andrea). The best democracy practice can be highly attributed to that larger number of participants by the citizens. The citizens in countries like Norway have a high sense of participation such that when one comes to age, they automatically register to vote. It might be different compared to countries like the US where some of the young people do not find voting necessary. The governance is highly collaborative, compared to other countries where the losing party spends most of its time opposing the ruling one, in Norway, they work together for the period, and as a result, there is development. The governance is highly based on trust. Some of these countries, the citizens, take it upon themselves to trust that the politicians to fulfill their duties. The politicians, on the other hand, are committed to the jobs that were entrusted to them by the citizens. Finally, the citizens know their role in the governance. The citizens have been educated, and they understand the difference they could make as a result of participating in decision making (Estman, Linnea). Therefore, practice their democratic right to the fullest.