The potentials of Direct Democracy to democratize Democracy

1
The potentials of Direct Democracy to
democratize Democracy

• A presentation for southkorean NGOs in Sunchun
  City Chunchun City
• By Andreas Gross (Switzerland)
• Director of the Scientific Institute for Direct
  Democracy in St.Ursanne and Swiss MPCouncil of
  Europe
• 28 th of February 2006
• www.andigross.ch info_at_andigross.ch

2
We should overcome the banalisation of the term
Democracy

• Democracy enables us to be free.
• Freedom enables us to act together on our common
  life ( Life is not a destiny )
• Democracy constitutes the rules, rights and
  procedures to prevent conflicts to be solved
  violently
• Democracy is the only source for legitimate
  power

3
Representative democracy is an essential part
of Democracy. But it should have the monopole
of D.

• Indirect Democracy enables you to vote your
  representatives
• Direct Democracy enables you to vote on important
  issues you dont want to leave to your
  Representatives

4
Direct Democracy is about people voting on
issues (Constitut. or legislat. changes)

• The Right to Vote on important issues creates a
  particular culture of democracy and changes the
  political culture of a country
• (More substance, more alternatives, more
  differentiation, more deepness, more knowledge)

5
Direct Democracy makes politics more
communicative

• Citizens will try to convince eachother
• In order to be convincing they have to listen
  and to speak with eachother
• Public Discourses get more substance
• People see, hear and learn more
• A learning society may solve problems quicker
  and more in the interest of the people.

6
DD on local and regional level is a condition to
restore confidence in democracy in order to
constitute DD on the national level and Democracy
on the transnational and global level

• ? DD reduces apathy
• ? DD reduces cynism
• ? DD restores trust in yourself and others
• ? DD reduces the personalization of politics and
  opens the public sphere to the essential
  questions of the society and our times

7
Which are the basic (principal)products of
Direct Democracys best practices?

• Individ. / collective communicationdeliberations
  
• Multiple deliberations
• Collective learning potentials
• political openess et legitimate polity
• Identification with the DD process ( Democratic
  patriotism )

8
The quality of the design of the process
determines the quality of the outcome and the
quality of the side - effects

• The design of the process is essential for the
   usefullness  of DD for any community.
• Each level (local, regional,national,
  transnational) requires a special design

9
The quality of DD (citizen empowerment) depends
from achievements in

• Social opportunities (Resources )
• Individual capacities (Education)
• Polity Design (constitutional rights)
• DD helps people to get more of this
• DD improves its own conditions

10
Social opportunities which improve the quality
of DD

• No poverty / Established lifechances for all
• Pluralistic, open, discursive public sphere
• Individual autonomy
• culture of empathy, solidarity and equity

11
Individual capacities which help to increase and
realize the quality of DD

• Ability to speak,read and listen
• Social competences (Meet, discuss and organise)
• Ability to understand
• Political judgement
• Openness and empathy

12
Elements of the Polity Design (constitutional
rights) to increase the quality of DD

• Guarantee of the Human Rights (Rule of law)
• Constitution of the peoples sovereignity
• on all economic levels
• Fairness rules for the use of financial
  resources
• Decentralisation of power and clear competence
  sharing
• Freedom of information act
• Time-sensibility (no quick fix),
  interactive/coop.settings

13
Ex. for high quality DD-Design (I) Free
signature gathering

• Allows to address unknown fellow citizens
• Increases serious deliberation opportunities
• Protects anonymity
• Facilitates the meeting of other social groups
• Enforces the overcoming of preducies

14
Ex. for high quality DD-Design (II) Low
signature requirements

• DD is an instrument for those who are not
  powerful
• It helps to integrate minorities and diversity
• All hear and sea more when its easier not to be
  overlooked
• The Polity is more open and accessible for new
  ideas
• Unsolved problems may be less overlooked

15
Ex. for high quality DD-Design (III) No special
majority qualifications (quorums)

• Those, who take part, decide
• No invitations to play against the spirit of DD
• You have to convince, when you want to win
• The majority of those, who participated, decide

16
Ex. for high quality DD-Design (IV) No by
passing of the Parliament

• ID and DD are complementary
• ID and DD have to build up a cooperative culture
• Mutual Counterproposals increase the options
• Institutional deliberations increase
• the institutional learning and respondsivnes

17
Historical conditions when people movements
succeeded to implement Direct Democracy
(CH/CAL/OREG)

• Representative Democray was discredited
  (Corruption...)
• Parliament excluded the interest of many
  ordinary citicens
• Excluded interests were the interests of the
  majority
• People became aware, that more and a better
• Democracy is possible
• gtgtgt They engaged themselves for it ltltlt

18
Historical lessons for those who want to
democratize democracy

• The basic new designs have to be implemented
• into the constitution and accepted bz the people
• Further improvements of the constitution must be
  possible
• Essential procedures have to be based in law(s)
• The citizens have to have to right to put a law
  before the people

19
The basic set of Direct Democracy(The basic
rights of the citizens in a DD)

• The constitutional (oblig.)Referendum
• The constitut. Initiative (Propositions)
• The optional legisl.Referendum
• The legisl.Initiative
• gtNo plebiscites, gtno assembly Dem,gtno direct
  elections