"Representative democracy is often presented as the only form of democracy possible in mass societies. It arguably allows for efficient ruling by a sufficiently small number of people on behalf of the larger number."
Whatever you want to call the current form of government in western societies, our countries are still ruled by the elite for their own benefit. That is how it has been, and how it will likely continue to be.
Democratic institutions and transparency, however, provide an important safety valve for the smooth functioning of society. They are important tools to keep the elites in check. This is important for elites and for everyone else!
Elites in other times and places tend to get a little full of themselves after a while. "Divine mandate" and all that. They start to take their position for granted, and become more and more brazen in the pursuit of their own (oftentimes stupid) self-interests. When things get too far out of whack, a revolution erupts, which kills a lot of people and destroys a lot of wealth. This is bad for every class, rich and poor.
Transparency helps to curb the behavior of the elites, steering them away from the most egregious pursuits. Democratic institutions (though still controlled by the elites) allow society to adapt to changing times more easily, and allow through the will of the people to some extent.
Elites should understand (though some apparently don't) that a stable society benefits them as much as anyone. What good is your wealth if you have to spend a lot of it on security? The stress isn't worth it.
> Elites should understand (though some apparently don't) that a stable society benefits them as much as anyone. What good is your wealth if you have to spend a lot of it on security? The stress isn't worth it.
It doesn't work like that. A lot of people do their best (including in politics in current governments).
If they fell too much, they will be replaced by another group (probably more progressist).
We can have a war between the two phases (in Europe). Europe is not stable anymore.
Well don't forget the idea of direct democracy where we leverage modern IT and allow the people to vote directly on issues, eliminating the need for representatives whom are, of course, often corrupted by monied interests.
Many movements and initiatives currently exist promoting this method of government[1]
The idea of open citizen voting directly on all issues terrifies me. I see democratic representation as a way to pay someone to read and understand all of the legal jargon most people won't take the time to bother with.
People don't take time to read their medicine bottle warnings, let alone the contents of the new Higher Education Act. I'm honestly afraid that righteous attitudes fueled by ignorance would rule.
It would put an incredible amount of power in the hands of mass-media as well (more than they already have). Well-designed and well-timed stories can sway public opinion waaaay too easily.
Combine that with how the government seems to handle IT security issues in these type of large-scale projects, and you have a recipe for disaster.
The idea of open citizen voting directly on all issues terrifies me. I see democratic representation as a way to pay someone to read and understand all of the legal jargon most people won't take the time to bother with.
Except they don't really either.
They typically have a rather large staff to do that for them, and paid lobbyists fill in the rest, along with large contributions of course.
To be honest, I find this lack of faith in the intelligence and integrity of your fellow man/woman rather disturbing, especially in this current social-justice warrior environment where we are all depending more on each other to get things right.
Direct democracy or demarchy are possible alternatives. It's claimed that negotiating TPP in secret is a necessity. It's only a necessity if you at first assume agreements like TPP are even desirable. Maybe, in reality, a series of smaller agreements is just as good if not better.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_democracy
Democracy is more a form of elitism than "power to the people". It has always been like that.
Another system is possible (like Futarchy or a form of Anarchism) but the transition is risky.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futarchy