The elite theory of democracy which states that the government is of the people, by the people and for the people, is to a great extent consistent with Lincoln’s description of democracy. The concept of the government being for the people is not so true to a great extent since people may choose those that they want to put in government. However, these people sometimes fail to represent the interests of the public. The opinions that they come up with in parliament will mostly represent the interests of the majority. It is not possible to fully represent the interests of everyone in any given country. The government also uses its power to influence people and the events by granting or withholding resources. Thus, the government is not fully by the people (Dye, Schubert and Zeigler 7).
However, it is still right to say that the government is of the people since it provides the needed platform for the popular participation of the citizens through the elected representatives. Popular democracy believes that the government rests on the consent of those that it governs. The government does the people justice by treating them as equals regardless of their social, economic or political power. Under the law, these distinctions do not matter. Thus, the citizens will to a large extent have equal chances to develop themselves to the fullest potential (Dye, Schubert and Zeigler 7). On the other hand, the government is also to a large extent by the people. Even though the majority will always rule, the life, liberty and the property of the minorities will only be threatened to a small extent. The institutions of representation through elections, parties, and organized interest groups are there to act as bridges between individuals and their government. In some instances though, the interests may not be represented fully especially when the popular groups still win elections by virtue of their high numbers (Dye, Schubert and Zeigler 10).
Work Cited
Dye, Thomas R, Louis Schubert, and Harmon Zeigler. The Irony of Democracy. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.
