https://theloop.ecpr.eu/inclusive-democracy-a-second-generation-design/
Karen Celis and Sarah Childs argue that "[i]nclusive representation requires presence but also richer political conversations, broader political agendas, meaningful accountability, and feelings of affinity, connection, and recognition."
Their recommendation for reaching this ideal, even if partially, is to institute offices for "affected representatives" in (I would think) all legislatures. These affected representatives would be selected by their communities, who are peoples most affected by for example a proposed policy in some parliament, and would collaborate as equals with regular representatives of said parliament on the development of that policy.
I'd like to invite readers to build on Celis and Child's ideal here.
For my part, I would want local governments to do more - especially with easily defined communities (apartment/condo buildings and neighbourhoods for instance) - to get people talking about public affairs, especially those most affecting them. This is a perennial topic in democracy studies/political theory but neoliberal cultures have made the problem much worse as people withdraw, or are forced to withdraw, ever more into their private concerns. These people withdraw without understanding that neoliberalism does come with an ethical catch: as states weaken, and their services diminish, it is for individuals and their businesses to fill this gap. Only most do not do this and there are, of course, tremendous problems when it comes to corporations filling in for the state.
What are your ideas? What are their limits? How could they work?
https://theloop.ecpr.eu/inclusive-democracy-a-second-generation-design/
Dear Jean-Paul,
- How could You practically make increasing presence and richer political conversations? - when societal development is, from one side, nowadays accelerating with enormous speed, and, from other side - becoming more and more specialised and quantifiable. According to my personal experience, in the eighties of last century You could easily read and comprehensively understand and evaluate up-to 80 percent of newly appearing social sciences journals articles (what to think about sixties-seventies!), now the percentage is the opposite. Of course, it depends on personal education level, but the tendencies are more than clear.
Currently, most democratic states, to a greater or lesser extent, are trying to promote a series of measures so that sectors of society that for many years have not been recognized or represented can take an active part in decisions and proposals for various measures to regularize their role as active members of social policy. We have precedents from ancient Greece and the Roman Empire with the domestic slaves - considered objects for domestic service - and hostages of war - for the fights in their coliseums as elements of leisure - of the slaves 'imported' from Africa to America, to the tenderest beginnings of the 20th century where women did not have access to suffrage among other grievances.
The abolition and struggle against all these circumstances lasted a long time and it took the interventions of the most elevated sectors and thinkers, philosophers and the most recognized of the political world to give a voice to all the people subjected to these precepts that were deeply rooted in each of these societies.
It is therefore an empirical fact that there is a need for channels led by people and movements that are capable of moving, refuting and arguing for a political and social change that reconfigures the vision of society towards the inclusion and normalization of all those who are part of it.
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