The one-sentence truth: Democracy is more than voting; it is a system for translating participation, disagreement and accountability into legitimate collective decisions.
Core vocabulary
Democracy, representation, participation, deliberation, mandate, pluralism, civic engagement, electoral accountability, political legitimacy, public sphere.
Representation
Representation can be electoral, descriptive or substantive. A body may contain diverse members without necessarily representing every group’s interests effectively.
Participation
Participation ranges from voting to volunteering, consultation, protest and public discussion. More participation is not automatically better if access is unequal or information quality is poor.
Deliberation
Deliberation implies reasoned exchange in which participants can encounter evidence and competing views. It differs from mere expression.
Mandate
A mandate describes authority claimed from an electoral or legitimate process. It does not imply unlimited power; institutional limits and rights can still constrain action.
Pluralism
Pluralism accepts competing interests and viewpoints as legitimate parts of public life. The challenge is maintaining common procedures for disagreement.
Example sentence
“Political participation strengthens legitimacy most reliably when citizens possess meaningful channels of influence rather than merely opportunities for symbolic expression.”
Singapore application
Analyse civic participation through institutions, consultation, elections, community organisations and public discourse while distinguishing participation from actual influence.
Continue the JC2 GP vocabulary system
Return to General Paper Vocabulary Year 2 (JC2) and Vocabulary for Junior College (JC1–JC2).
Final thought
The quality of civic life depends not only on whether people can speak, but whether institutions can hear, answer and remain accountable.