Participatory Democracy: Pros and Cons

Introduction. In the late 1960s, the so-called theory of participatory democracy emerged in Western political philosophy, and in the 1970s it became particularly widespread. Purpose. The article provides a comprehensive analysis of this theory: its essence is briefly formulated, and then it is considered in what historical and intellectual conditions it arose and developed, and what are its main advantages and disadvantages. Methodology. For this purpose, the methods of historical, comparative and normative analysis are used. Results. It is noted that the theory arose as a reaction to the democratic elitism that prevailed in post-war Western political philosophy, but did not completely displace it, so today there are well-known supporters of both democratic elitism and participatory democracy. Participatory democracy is criticized from the point of view of its two basic values: political equality and political participation. Both the relativity of these values and the dubiousness of their correlation are shown, and it is also demonstrated that both of these values do not always contribute to achieving normatively correct results. Among the positive features of the participatory democracy is its emphasis on mass political participation as an effective means of establishing the real peoples' political power. Also participatory democracy advocates a productive view of the traditional liberal values of freedom and equality as a means of providing each individual with opportunities for self-actualization. Finally, the emphasis of participatory democrats on the overcoming economic inequality and increasing equal access to education, as well as the view of participatory democrats on voters not as egoists, but as responsible citizens are positively assessed. Conclusion. Today the participatory democracy has only limited normative appeal, and the degree of its applicability strongly depends on specific empirical conditions.