Proponents of deliberative democracy have defended participatory conceptions of democracy, inclusive participation and an emphasis on public discussion, reasoning and judgment. This question is an invitation to think about the feasibility of this model. This aim necessarily involves an explicit recognition of the challenges and the limits of these proposals. Thus, the purpose here, then, is to define a) the political and institutional requirements of these “real” deliberative and participation processes and b) the delimitation between deliberation and the main elements of our representative government.
Deliberative democracy should not mean the subjection of all political processes to public debate, and the dismantling of all representative institutional form in favor of a radical participatory decentralization.
The deliberation can help us understand the processes of reform, highlighting their presence in different institutions and other places. It is possible that we have to open mechanisms of direct participation that claim their legitimacy own and their existence is simultaneous with our Parlaments. But, It is clear that in this "game" is necessary to reject the false and dangerous argument legitimacy "street", faced with parliamentary legitimacy, a stage before the effects could not be prepared.
Participatory democracy (or assembly democracy) is a form of direct democracy in which citizens directly vote on initiatives. This type of democracy can be traced back to the Greek city of Athens but has scarcely been put in practice in our days. The most notorious experience is Switzerland, in which general popular assemblies in each of the cantons approve main initiatives by popular vote. Assembly democracy is not exclusive of Switzerland, but also the towns of the states of New England in U.S. are governed by periodic meetings that discuss and vote their main issues (the term town corresponds to municipalities in other places).
There is no "pure" form of direct democracy as both in Switzerland and New England, popular assemblies coexist with representative democracy at higher levels of government. Opponents to Direct Democracy claim that this procedure generates delays, conflicts, and even tyranny of the majority among others. These particular factors and the fear for political instability has resulted in a limited support to these alternative forms of democracy, and therefore, a stronger support for representative democracy.
M. Socorro, I live in a direct democracy, a small university town in Connecticut, in Southern New England. The distinguishing feature about direct democracy here and in Greece is what we seek here in Researchgate: visibility of ourselves and our neighbors. However, here we are aware that the "invisible" governments of the State (Connecticut) and the nation (U.S.A.), that is, representative democracies, enjoy greater control over our daily lives. It is quite an imbalance!
Dear all, the direct democracy by open assembly is only organized in the small Swiss canton of Appenzell in dem Roden. However we have here in the South-West of Finland corporation for water supply. They organize open meetings for all owners of land (also share holders of the corporation)
To my perception these two concepts and ideas neither contradict each other, vice versa they complement the obstacles or gaps raised in the pure constitutional democracy. Definitely representative democracy is the most viable tools in our age, but the very core idea of representativeness is undermined when there are no options for active citizen engagement, participation and deliberation. I fully agree with the school of scholars who believe that deliberation and participation are core fundamentals to evaluate and understand the very essence of genuine constitutional democracy. As renewed Roman thinker, philosopher, statesman, rhetor and polymath Marcus Tullius Cicero indicated Freedom is nothing more than the participation in power. Thus in my vision republican theory and doctrine is the best western intellectual source to understand the very interdependence of the above mentioned western paradigms and concepts.
In this insight please find publication published by Cambridge University Press titled Republicanism A Shared European Heritage Volume II The Values of Republicanism in Early Modern Europe Edited by Martin van Gelderen and Quentin Skinner CUP 2002
I think that such kind of republican understanding and philosophical visions enrich your perceptions about this vital issues.
Sincerely,
Karlo
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