This post is a summary of three articles. The first with the incomplete title above and was published in June of 2014 at http://www.theglobalist.com/reforming-democracy-and-the-future-of-history/, The second was published at https://www.ndi.org/citizen-participation . The third is a review of the book, "Reforming democracies," written by Douglas Chalmers former director of the Institute of Political Science at Columbia University and was published in January of 2013 at. http://cup.columbia.edu/book/reformingdemocracies/9780231162944
In 1975, a report, "The Crisis of Democracy," prepared by the Trilateral Commission, signaled the pessimism and defeatism prevailing in Western democracies at the time about the future and sustainability of democracy. The report reflected a deep economic downturn, as well as social and political turmoil. The crisis of democracy was tightly connected with concerns about "monopoly capitalism," rampant materialism and corruption. Four decades later, democracy is again in a state of crisis. This comes as somewhat of a surprise, given that successive waves of democratization have touched every region of the world over the past 40 years. What is becoming evident now is that an opposite trend has emerged. In the early 1990's, the end of the Cold War had brought the revalidation of democracy with greater vigour as the most representative form of government. Yet this exuberance has been counterbalanced with criticism of its failings and shortcomings. Democracies guarantee political freedom, the rule of law, human rights and a platform for citizens to engage in the political process. Yet, in practice, democracies feature numerous inadequacies. Inequality, disempowerment, lack of opportunity, infringements of civil liberties, ethnic, social and cultural discrimination, corruption and opaque honor titles systems are all present, and apparently not antagonistic to democracies. As Joseph Stiglitiz, economist professor at Columbia University has noted, "the rich do not need to rely on government for education or medical care or personal security, they can buy all these things for themselves. In the process, they become more distant from ordinary people, losing whatever empathy they may once have had." Corporate financing of political campaigns have reinforce this, hijacking the democratic process. It further alienates voters who feel they are excluded from a process that is beyond their control. The role of money in politics is worth as a major problem with democratic governance. Its effects are truly worrisome, especially when there is little transparency and regulatory mechanisms to limit the distorting role of money in politics. Finally, the sense of disillusionment with democracy in its current form has been reinforced with disclosures of large-scale government surveillance, violations of privacy and civil liberties. The claim of sweeping authority over the right to collect personal data is harmful to core liberties. Overseeing the overseers and keeping states' need to know in balance with the safeguard of privacy and civil liberties remains a challenge. Opinion polls across many continents reflect this current dissatisfaction with democracy. These forms of disillusionment indicate the need to embrace a paradigm that goes beyond political freedom and addresses the human need for dignity. Democracy guarentees political freedom and rights. A greater emphasis on human dignity and a governance model that places dignity at the center can halt the current disenchantment with democracy. Dignity means more than absence of humiliation. As a basis for government, it commands institutions and policies that comply with nine dignity needs: reason, security, human rights, accountability, transparency, justice, opportunity, innovation and inclusiveness. Creating institutions that upholds these needs would better address three key attibutes and motivators of human nature: emotionality, amorality and egoism. To make this work in practice requires recommendations to amend current democratic systems. To make them more sustainable requires a stronger focus on, and application of, eight criteria of good governance: 1)Participation. 2) equity and inclusiveness. 3) The rule of law. 4) Separation of powers. 5) Free, independent and responsible media. 6) Government legitimacy. 7) Accountability and transparency. 8) Limitation of the distorting effect of money in politics.
Deepening democracy so it can provide tangible improvements to people's lives is an overarching objective of citizen participation. Making democracy work requires informed and active citizens who understand how to voice their interests, act collectively and hold public officials accountable. Citizens must understand ideas about citizenship, politics and government. They need knowledge to make decisions about policy choices. They also need to have the desire to exercise their rights, and they need the political space to do so without unreasonable resistance or harassmment from authorities or others. Any citizen participation program, including support of civic and voter education, budget oversight and government monitoring, help citizens master the techniques needed to initiate action, solve complex problems and become leaders in their own right. It is need programs to activate and empower citizens and civic groups, establish strong civic cultures and achieve an appropriate balance of power between citizens and government. Citizens around the world desire accountable and responsive political institutions. It is important share experiences and offers a range of options, so that leaders and activists can select those practices that work best. Also is important promoting solidarity among democratic activists and helping them share lessons with one another. Democracy's credibility and sustainability depends, to an degree, on how it works in practice, and what it delivers. Democracies must be able to move beyond elections and forming institutions and begin to successfully tackle issues related to security, jobs, human rights, well-being and human development. Democracy should facilitate economic growth and deliver the means for people to achieve a better life, while protecting fundamental rights and ensuring that citizens are free from oppression and arbitrary government intrusion. Helping democracy deliver requires a greater focus on the practice of democracy. Democratic practice emphasizes collective action and inclusive, evidence-based decision making. It also emphasizes access to information, a voice for citizens and accountability measures and mechanisms. Government planing, budgeting and spending are potential opportunities for citizens to participate in government. Citizens should be able to access information, influence priorities and hold public officials accountable. To help citizens participate, processes begin with citizens advocating for freedom of information legislation to create mechanisms through which budget information can be accessed. Citizen participation programs usually involve assistance to NGOs or community organizations. Programs also helps groups that organize themselves around issues, such as good governance, health, education, or public safety.
In Reforming Democracies, Douglas Chalmers offers a thoughtful and challenging critique of the basic concepts informing our understanding of 'liberal democracy.' He begins with questions about the interests that should be represented, including those of no only citizens but also 'quasi-citizens' who play a critical role in the functioning of the politics. He challenges us to move beyond the conventional analysis of party and interest-group linkages between the people and decision makers and to take into account dynamic and informal relationship outside of these traditional channels. Finally, he urges us to look more directly at decision-making as a deliberative as well as a bargaining process. Underlying all of these challenges is an affirmation that 'democracy' should be conceived not only in terms of procedural norms but also in terms of its capacity to govern in the public interest. In this book, Chalmers builds on decades of teaching and writing as a political philosophy too. He takes us to neglected places in the democratic decision-making process and argues that we need new institutions to regulate these places, to facilitate action, benefit the people, and adapt continually through linkages that convey information and accountability. These new ideas will make you think.
