Which one of the following statements with regard to 'protective democracy' is NOT correct?

Protective democracy, associated with thinkers like Jeremy Bentham and James Mill, views democracy primarily as a mechanism to protect citizens from the potential tyranny of the state. Its core premise is that citizens must be able to protect themselves from governmental encroachments on their private interests and civil liberties [1]. This model is highly compatible with laissez-faire capitalism, as it emphasizes a limited state that ensures the security of property and individual freedom. Political reality is understood in formal terms, focusing on legal protections and voting rights as instruments for accountability [3]. Crucially, unlike 'participatory' or 'developmental' democracy, protective democracy does not view active citizen participation as an essential good or a requirement for human development; rather, it sees participation (like voting) as a necessary but minimal burden to ensure leaders do not abuse power [5]. Therefore, the statement that it propounds participation as 'essential' in a broad sense is incorrect.

Sources

1. [1] Democratic Politics-I. Political Science-Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 5: DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS > Why do we need rights in a democratic society? > p. 78
2. [2] Political Theory, Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Rights > 5.4 KINDS OF RIGHTS > p. 73
3. [3] https://www.undp.org/latin-america/blog/democracy-cornerstone-human-development
4. [4] Democratic Politics-I. Political Science-Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 1: WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? WHY DEMOCRACY? > 1.4 BROADER MEANINGS OF DEMOCRACY > p. 15
5. [5] https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/04/importance-democracy