Achieving Political Inclusion

               Everybody around the world seem to understand that for a more productive and effecient political system, we need more political inclusion. And to achieve this, we need more political activists becoming candidates. We need more candidates with a real chance to win, candidates with a long history of an online and offline activism for democracy, human rights and justice, candidates with a wide coalition of support. Now, more than ever we need candidates speaking about the benefits of political inclusion. More than ever we need politicians and candidates not afraid of competition.  This post is a summary of the book with the title above published in September of 2019 at   https://www.gmfus.org/sites/default/files/achieving_political_inclusion_0.pdf

               We define political inclusion as: engaging all in the community in the political process, such as civic education, voting, running for office, and offering input to representatives as policies and legislation are developed, thereby creating a sense of agency and belonging. Democracies are facing serious stresses at this time. Making our democracies more inclusive, we will also make our democracies more robust and enduring. We look toward democratic practice where the full involvement of citizens increases the total amount of power available in our societies, rather than zero sum approaches, where power is considered to be limited and the temptation is therefore to monopolize and to withhold it. We look toward electoral systems where every vote counts, free of the undue influence of money, and where every voting individual is encouraged to learn about candidates. We look toward better understanding the power of new communication technologies, how to address misinformation and to ensure that our democratic processes are secure. We look toward processes of civic education that teach and nurture democratic practices from early age, equitably across our countries. To achieve these goals within our bodies politic, we must be courageous and innovative. And we have to consider steps that each of us can take as individuals to advance political inclusion from our own circles of influence. The concepts and practice of inclusion are starting to gain traction in public debate. Although the media, business and education sectors have been praising the benefits of inclusion for some time, the political sphere has only recently begun to explore inclusionary policies. In order to better understand the issue of inclusion in the political sphere, we must first acknowledge the delegitimization of participative democracy and a crisis of representation in politics. The problem of legitimacy is directly linked to that of inequality because represented citizens are fundamentally unequal in our society. This is principally due to a marginalization of certain populations that is in turn mirrored in political life. Furthermore, the structure of the political system reinforce feelings of disenfranchisement and abandonment. An asymmetrical power structure, a "top-down" system that emphasizes the power of the executive. brings a twofold threat: undermining both the balance of power within the government, and the representative power of citizenry. Exacerbating this sentiment of desertion is a disconnect between members of parliament and the people. In the absence of representatives who listen, citizens are discouraged by the status quo, intensifying the lack of communication in the political system. A cycle of mistrust results and in turn, intensifies the lack of connection between public authorities and voters. The question we must ask ourselves is: Where do we want to go in inclusion and how do we get there? Here are 5 recommendations reached during a convening of inclusion strategists at Paris, bringing together thought leaders from across sectors, generations, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds:     1) It is time to rethink representation in the media and politics with the aim of deconstructing stereotypes and bolstering the visible role of underrepresented groups. A lack of political representation leads to a lack of inclusion and can consequently weaken national identity and even stir contempt. It is essential to systematically engage diverse representatives in highly visible media and public office leadership roles. Greater legislative power can be entrusted to citizens by increasing civic engagement via town hall meetings, debates, and overall inclusivity in policy making.      2) The higher education system needs to have more access in order to disrupt a cycle of social reproduction of the systemic structures of inequality. Education serves as a lever for representation, and could ensure that diversity flourishes in all aspects of a country.       3) There must be a reinforcement of the synergy between the public and private sectors. The private sector recognizes the role of diversity in increasing productivity. This is the time to raise public awareness about the benefits of inclusion as a source of innovation for institutions.    4) There is a need to challenge by implementing data collection and statistical analysis. This would allow the measurement of the impact of public policies by collecting data that would permit a deeper apprehension of various forms of discrimination.      5) Creating Inclusive Leadership Summits aims to understand the roadblocks to inclusion and formulate concrete propositions in order to effectivelly promote a diverse political class. Advocating for political inclusion will not only ensure better representation of all citizens, but above all the legitimacy of our democratic systems.            If each person in a community were at their peak level of personal power, the community would also maximize its collective power. Sources of power such as ideas, drive, imagination, innovation, and vision could be fully tapped, providing the energy and agency for civic and political engagement. A country is stronger when its inhabitants are fully able to realize their capabilities and contribute to the country as a whole. The famous quote"knowledge is power" is perhaps the key driver in how inclusion and leadership are defined in the digital age. Digital transformation is redefining social and emotional intelligence as we know it in human interaction. Disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data are progressing at a high pace. Soft-skills such as empathy, stress management, resilience and managing unconscious bias are essential components of building trust between different stakeholders to foster political inclusion.