Recent insights on direct democracy: Arguments, drivers, effects and conditions

Rooted in history, with origins tracing back to Athenian democracy in the 5th century BCE, direct democracy has gained renewed attention as a potential solution to the challenges of representative democracy. It is often seen as a means to reduce democratic deficits, enhance citizen participation, and legitimize political decisions. This study reviews recent literature on direct democracy, analyzing 46 articles published between 2016 and 2023 to map key themes and debates. While findings highlight its potential to strengthen participation, empower citizens, and align policies with public preferences, they also emphasize significant risks, including the marginalization of vulnerable groups and susceptibility to elite manipulation.,Direct democracy, where citizens vote directly on laws and policies, has been around since ancient Athens and is now being looked at again as a way to improve how modern democracies work. Many people believe it can help fix problems like low trust in politicians and lack of citizen involvement. This study looked at 46 recent research papers published between 2016 and 2023 to understand what experts are saying about direct democracy today. The research shows that while direct democracy can increase participation and make government decisions more in line with what people want, it also comes with risks. These include the possibility of powerful groups taking advantage of the system and some groups of people being left out or harmed by the process.