Generally, people think of democracy as only one type of government system, in which the people exercise ultimate political control. However, three primary types of democracy exist. A participatory democracy seeks the greatest degree of participation from the greatest number of people. In a pluralist democracy, interest groups compete for the power to create public policy. Finally, in an elite democracy, only a small number of people—generally the wealthy, educated, or connected—control politics.

Select one of the three systems and create an evidence-based claim as to why it is the best, or most effective, form of democracy. Include and defend at least two arguments. Include and rebut at least one counterargument.