Direct Democracy
A system in which citizens decide laws directly through referendums, popular initiatives, assemblies and recall of officials, instead of delegating to representatives, as in the Swiss cantons and classical Athens.
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In one sentence
I want citizens to decide laws through referendums, popular initiatives and recall of officials, with power decentralized to municipalities and cantons.
Political topics
Profile across mindedfolk
- Strong · Federal
Structure
- Very strong · Democracy
Representation
- Leaning · Liberty
Power
- Balanced
Immigration
- Leaning · Internationalist
Nationalism
- Balanced
Economy
- Leaning · Free market
Free market
- Leaning · Irreligious
Religion
- Balanced
Morality
- Balanced
Technology
What sets this ideology apart
Structure
Leans further toward federal than 79% of the 263 ideologies in the catalog.
Ideology median 38This ideology 78
Of all the topics, Structure is where it stands furthest from the rest.
Economy
On Economy, it sits practically at the catalog median.
Ideology median 58This ideology 54
Here it shares common ground with most ideologies.
Personalities
Thomas Jefferson
Author of the Declaration of Independence and third US president, Jefferson championed an agrarian republic of small landowners, limited and decentralized government, religious freedom, and distrust of banks, armies, and cities.
Closest, by dimension
PoliticallyIsaiah BerlinPhilosopher97%
SociallyAl GorePolitician96%
EconomicallyNicolas de CondorcetEnlightenment philosopher100%
Other compatible profiles
PhilosophyLuiz Felipe PondéPhilosopher and writer94%
Intellectual lifeAldo LeopoldConservationist94%
Intellectual lifeJoe RoganPodcaster and Comedian94%
PoliticsJames MadisonStatesman93%
BusinessAdriano OlivettiIndustrialist, Urban Planner, and Political Theorist93%
PoliticsBenjamin FranklinStatesman and scientist93%
PhilosophyJohn Stuart MillPhilosopher93%
PoliticsJimmy CarterPresident of the United States92%
The most distant
Countries
Reference country
Switzerland
Liberal direct democracyA European federal confederation, Switzerland is known for its direct democracy, strong cantonal autonomy, historic neutrality, and a prosperous economy based on finance, precision industry, and institutional stability.
Other close countries
Switzerland
Liberal direct democracyA European federal confederation, Switzerland is known for its direct democracy, strong cantonal autonomy, historic neutrality, and a prosperous economy based on finance, precision industry, and institutional stability.
Also close, by dimension
PoliticallyGreenland (Denmark)Arctic-social autonomous territory96%
SociallyAustriaSocial-neutralist republic97%
EconomicallyDenmarkSocial-competitive monarchy100%
The most distant
Old Swiss Confederacy
1291–1798Medieval alliance of autonomous cantons formed from the 1291 Pact, the Old Swiss Confederacy operated without a strong central power, combining direct democracy in local assemblies (Landsgemeinde), independent peasant militias, and weak joint military/diplomatic coordination among the cantons.
Also close, by dimension
PoliticallyAnarchist Aragon and Catalonia1936–193980%
SociallyWeimar Republic1919–193390%
EconomicallyDemocratic Athensc. 508–322 BCE99%
The most distant
Ideological proximity
Close ideologies
Closest within Center
- Center
Federalism
Doctrine that organizes the state through a constitutional division of power between a central government and autonomous regional units, such as cantons or states, with their own competencies, independent courts, and mutual checks against excessive concentration of power.
- Center
Green Liberalism
Current that unites individual freedom, markets, and democracy with the ecological agenda, defending sustainability, rights, and innovation to reconcile economic prosperity with effective environmental protection.
- Center
Republicanism
Political tradition that values popular sovereignty, civic virtue, and the rule of law, defending citizens' self-government, the separation of powers, and protection against tyranny and the corruption of power.
Closest in other spectrums
- Libertarian
Georgism
Economic philosophy founded by Henry George holding that natural resources and land belong to the whole community, advocating a single land value tax (LVT) and the abolition of taxes on labor and capital.
- Right
Liberalism
Political tradition that places individual freedom at the center, defending rights, tolerance, the rule of law, a market economy, and limits on power, with government subject to the consent of citizens.
- Left
Internationalist Democracy
Doctrine proposing a democratic and federated global political order where citizens and nations deliberate jointly through multilateral representative institutions and lawful cooperation.
The most distant ideology
Stalinist SocialismRadical Left31%