What is a Polyarchal Democracy?

Answer 1

It is top-down, elite-driven, democracy...

Answer 2

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Democracy is a political model where the people -- citizens -- hold ultimate decision making power. Democracy may be direct (polyarchal) or it may be indirect, such as a representative republic. But at its core -- democracy is might makes right, usually by majority (mob) rule.

Answer 3

In the general sense, the above is true. But when used in the common context it requires 6 institutions (from Political Science Quarterly, summer 2005, "What Political Institutions
Does Large-Scale Democracy Require?" - ROBERT A. DAHL)

1. elected officials
2. free, fair, and frequent elections
3. freedom of expression
4. alternative sources of info
5. associational autonomy
6. inclusive citizenship

...Taken in their entirety, then, these six political institutions constitute not
only a new type of political system but a new kind of popular government, a
type of “democracy” that had never existed throughout the twenty-five centuries
of experience since the inauguration of “democracy” in Athens and a “republic”
in Rome. Because the institutions of modern representative democratic
government, taken in their entirety, are historically unique, it is convenient to
give them their own name. This modern type of large-scale democratic government
is sometimes called polyarchal democracy.
Although other factors were often at work, the six political institutions of
polyarchal democracy came about, in part at least, in response to demands for
inclusion and participation in political life.
...
Polyarchy is derived from Greek words meaning “many” and “rule,” thus “rule by the many,” as
distinguished from rule by the one, or monarchy, and rule by the few, oligarchy or aristocracy. Although
the term had been rarely used, a colleague and I introduced it in 1953 as a handy way of referring
to a modern representative democracy with universal suffrage. Hereafter I shall use it in that sense.
More precisely, a polyarchal democracy is a political system with the six democratic institutions listed
above. Polyarchal democracy, then, is different from representative democracy with restricted suffrage,
as in the nineteenth century. It is also different from older democracies and republics that not
only had a restricted suffrage but lacked many of the other crucial characteristics of polyarchal democracy,
such as political parties, rights to form political organizations to influence or oppose the existing
government, organized interest groups, and so on. It is different, too, from the democratic practices
in units so small that members can assemble directly and make (or recommend) policies or laws.

Answer 4

Polyarchy refers to rule by the many.

A polyarchal democracy is the antithesis of a hierarchical republic. Rather than concentrating power in specific elected officials, power (and decision making) remains distributed among the masses.