Polyarchy

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In political science, the term polyarchy (poly "many", arkhe "rule")^[1] was used by Robert A. Dahl to describe a form of government in which power is invested in multiple people. It takes the form of neither a dictatorship nor a democracy.^[2] This form of government was first implemented in the United States and France and gradually adopted by other countries. Polyarchy is different from democracy, according to Dahl, because the fundamental democratic principle is "the continuing responsiveness of the government to the preferences of its citizens, considered as political equals" with unimpaired opportunities.^[2] A polyarchy is a form of government that has certain procedures that are necessary conditions for following the democratic principle.^[3][4]

In semblance, the word "polycracy" describes the same form of government,^[5] although from a slightly different premise: a polycracy is a society ruled by more than one person, as opposed to a monocracy. The word derives from Greek poly ("many") and kratos ("rule" or "strength").