The Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) has opened a discussion on the contribution of technology to democracy.
Does anyone have any ideas on how technology might be used to improve democracy or, on the other hand is it being used more often to undermine it?
The Chatham House Question:
Are there ways in which technology can help revitalise democracy in Europe?
Although digital technology and in particular social media is often seen as a driver of the current crisis of liberal democracy, it may also be part of the solution. Across Europe, citizens have used digital technology to experiment with new forms of communication and mobilization and parties and governments have used digital technology to involve citizens. What lessons can be learned from these experiments? Do any of them offer promising ways of engaging citizens more deeply in the democratic process in Europe?
Any ideas? Sensible ones that is!
The European democracies rather the democratic values among European populations have been considered to have been weaken when there is emergence of right wing politics that resort on arguments of white supremacy. Partly the cause is demographic change in occupancy where there is a tension between white and other races for employability. The Harvard University Economist Dani Rodrik and many thinkers alike have suggested that economies should generate good jobs that protect the labor. However unlike US, Europe does have laws that give more protection to labor force. Thus it is more of question of green jobs that can be defined as leading to sustainable outcomes and represent agriculture, industry as well as services. The green jobs are directly related with technological strides and innovation within production patterns ant its supply chains representing eco friendly outcomes from methods of production. If European societies can create abundant green jobs for their populations that involve eco friendly technologies and address occupancy imbalance within their societies while doing so, it will have favorable effects on democratic culture that is as mentioned above skewed towards right. The other role of technology is living in the cyber world that promote ideas of dissent and conflict towards multiculturalism as can be observed through social mediums in internet. The use of social mediums where other cultures are well understood not through colonial lense or just exotic but common history of humanity may also provide credence to democratic values in a multicultural context also mandated by European intellect in a general sense.
Democracy itself would be better understood if it was referred to as
"Commercial democracy" as democracies only develop in response to widespread production and trade within a region.
Thus the origin of all long-lasting democracies come from port cities and trading areas. From ancient Athens to the Italian Maritime Republics and to England and her colonies democracies develop as an aspect of trade.
So to enhance democracy is to find ways to enhance production and trade.
Technology can do this.
The more COMMERCIAL Europe becomes, the more democratic it will be.
We confuse democracy as a merely a political arrangement. But it is but the political veneer of a producing and trading people.
As we are all more-or-less equal and tolerant in the marketplace, we become equal and tolerant in our government.
Historically, government jobs initiatives stifle production more than they foster it. Removing regulations and lowering taxation will undoubtedly help.
The Chinese lead in developing some technologies because their oversight and regulatory systems have not yet developed to control and stifle production. In some ways it is a capitalist free-for-all churning just beneath and out of sight of communist overlords.
But if things continue along the path they are traveling, China, like Russia, like India, and other areas will move toward democracy. It's production and trade guarantees it.
These ideas are further examined at www.ourhumanherds.com
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