The Meaning of Democratic Participation

Political scientists sharply disagree over the meaning of democratic participation. For some (such as Sidney Verba and Norman Nie who adopt an asymmetric perspective), participation denotes the influence ordinary people have over the selection of superiors and the policies they adopt. For others (such as Carole Pateman who adopts a symmetric perspective), participation refers to direct involvement in making decisions and policies. Alongside their conceptual differences, the two schools of thought employ contrasting definitional strategies and focus primary attention on distinct empirical settings. Despite the apparent incompatibility of the two perspectives, they may be synthesized into a single coherent conception by considering the importance people attribute to their membership in the polity and in other social units.