Democratic Institutions and Political Decision Making in Indian Politics

Democracy is not just about people electing their rulers. In a democracy the rulers have to follow some rules and procedures. They have to work with and within institutions. We try to understand this by looking at the manner in which major decisions are taken and implemented in our country. We also look at how disputes regarding these decisions are resolved. In this process we come across two institutions that play a key role in major decisions – legislature and executive. A direct – or participatory – democracy, in turn, is one in which all eligible citizens play an active role in government and vote on these matters directly themselves. In other words, they are afforded the power to make political decisions. Although this would potentially result in decisions that are a truer reflection of the will of the people, increased political involvement, and a more equitable and just society, there are also many challenges to this model of democracy. Perhaps then, an absolute direct democracy is an overly idealistic, or even impractical, vision. However, one way in which we could certainly move closer to a democracy that is more participatory, inclusive, and representative of the general will, is by increasing stakeholder engagement in politics.