laocracy

Etymology

From Greek λαοκρατία (laokratía), from Ancient Greek λαός (laós, “people”) and Ancient Greek -κρατία (-kratía, “power”), in contrast to democracy, which is derived from Ancient Greek δῆμος (dêmos, “common people”, “assembly of the people”).

Why this word is great

LAOCRACY — [Noun] A system of governance characterized by direct rule by the people, as opposed to representative democracy. From the Greek λαοκρατία (laokratía), from λαός (laós, "people") and -κρατία (-kratía, "power, rule"), it is the unmediated voice of the collective made manifest. Unlike "democracy" (which often delegates authority to elected proxies) or "ochlocracy" (which surrenders to the frenzy of the mob), laocracy demands the sober, sustained participation of every citizen. It is the Athenian agora alive with debate, the Swiss canton voting on road repairs, or the quiet hum of a town hall where each voice carries equal weight—a fragile, luminous ideal that assumes people are both wise enough to govern themselves and patient enough to endure the labor of doing so.

noun

Direct democracy, as opposed to representative parliamentary democracy.