Democratic innovation for change : a participatory corrective to deliberative hegemony
Escobar, Oliver (University of Edinburgh)
Bua, Adrian (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Govern i Polítiques Públiques

Date:	2025
Abstract:	The world faces social, political, economic and ecological crises, and there is doubt that democratic governance can cope. Democracies rely on a narrow set of institutions and processes anchored in dominant forms of political organisation and imagination. Power inequalities sustain the (re)production of current ills in democratic life. In this context, what does the field of democratic innovation offer to the task of sociopolitical reimagining and change? The field has advanced since the turn of the century, building foundations for democratic renewal. It draws from various traditions of democracy, including participatory and deliberative streams. But there is concern that a non-critical version of deliberative democracy is becoming hegemonic. Deliberative theory generated useful correctives to participatory democracy - i. e. a deeper understanding of the communicative fabric of the public sphere as worthy of democratisation; public reasoning as a bridge-builder between streets and institutions and a key precursor to democratic collective action. However, we argue that democratic innovation now needs a participatory corrective to strengthen its potential to mobilise capacity for change. We review emerging critiques in conversation with participatory ideas and practices, illustrating our argument with four gaps in democratic innovation that can become field-expanding dimensions to deliver emancipatory change more effectively: pluriversality, policy, political economy, and empowerment.
Grants:	European Commission 101132292
Note:	Altres ajuts: Horizon Europe Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (reference 10110670)
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Democratic innovation ; Participatory democracy ; Deliberative democracy ; Social change ; Capacity
Published in:	Politics, ISSN 1467-9256

DOI: 10.1177/02633957251349635

22 p, 262.2 KB

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