Ideals and Actions: Do Citizens’ Patterns of Political Participation Correspond to their Conceptions of Democracy?

2014 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 234-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Åsa Bengtsson ◽  
Henrik Christensen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Political Participation ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Political System ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
National Election Study ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Political Decisions ◽  
Political Decision Making

The interest in procedures for political decision-making has grown tremendously during recent decades. Given the intense scholarly debate and the implementation of greater opportunities for citizen participation in many democracies, there has been surprisingly little interest in citizens’ conceptions of democracy understood as their preferences concerning the processes by which the political system works. Some recent attempts do, however, suggest that it is important to expand the study of public opinion from policy output to decision-making processes, and that there are coherent patterns in citizens’ expectations of the way in which political decisions come about. What is not clear, though, is whether citizens’ different conceptions of democracy have repercussions for how they engage in politics. Using the Finnish National Election Study of 2011 (Borg and Grönlund 2011), this article explores the relationship between citizens’ conceptions of democracy and patterns of political participation. Results demonstrate a distinct association between citizens’ ideals and the actions they take.

Can Democracy be Deliberative & Participatory? The Democratic Case for Political Uses of Mini-Publics

Daedalus ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 146 (3) ◽  
pp. 85-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Lafont
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Deliberative Democracy ◽  
Political System ◽  
Democratic Legitimacy ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Negative Conclusion ◽  
Political Decision Making

This essay focuses on recent proposals to confer decisional status upon deliberative mini-publics such as citizens' juries, Deliberative Polls, and citizens' assemblies. Against such proposals, I argue that inserting deliberative mini-publics into political decision-making processes would diminish the democratic legitimacy of the political system as a whole. This negative conclusion invites a question: which political uses of mini-publics would yield genuinely democratic improvements? Drawing from a participatory conception of deliberative democracy, I propose several uses of mini-publics that could enhance the democratic legitimacy of political decision-making in current societies.

Internal variables affecting Iraqi political decision-making after the year 2003

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Social Contract ◽  
Political System ◽  
Internal Variables ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Political Crises ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Political Decision Making

The research aims to study the internal variables affecting the political system, namely the constitution, national and federal identity, and political parties. The research concluded that Iraq is going through severe political crises, which are: 1.The permanent Iraqi constitution of 2005 still carries multiple problems, the most important of which is the relationship between the center and the region, with the existence of quotas and consensus, and they are the basis for the failure of effective Iraqi political decision-making, and the absence of a social contract 2.The existence of chaos of political parties and the domination of large blocs in decision-making, which led to the marginalization of minorities and the loss of their rights. Keywords:occupation; decision – making ; Internal variables; federalism; Political quota

Political Parties and Corruption: Reflections on the Italian Case

Modern Italy ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donatella della Porta
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Political Participation ◽  
Political System ◽  
Political Corruption ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Popular Participation ◽  
Italian Case ◽  
Political Decision Making

Political corruption can be considered as a means by which money influences politics. In the classic studies the causes of corruption have usually been identified in the characteristics of the principal actor in the political system: the party. Samuel Huntington, in particular, has linked the development of corruption to party weakness during phases of growing political participation. Corruption spreads in those specific paths to modernization in which popular participation in political decision-making is not immediately accompanied by a strengthening of those institutions, such as political parties, which should filter and direct collective demands: ‘the weaker and less accepted the political parties, the greater the likelihood of corruption’.

scholarly journals Tipos de expertise na tomada de decisão política em educação: Contribuições de uma discussão teórico-concetual

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Carina Coelho ◽  
Manuela Terrasêca ◽  
José Alberto Correia
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Policy Decision Making ◽  
Professional Fields ◽  
Modes Of Governance ◽  
Political Decisions ◽  
Political Decision Making

In this article we present some reflections from a conceptual analysis and discussion that are part of a wider research intending to understand and questioning current ways of expertise in educational policy-making, namely, concerning to the characteristics of the expert actors and the kind of knowledge recognized as valid to legitimize political decisions. Starting from a contextualization of the research interests in the recent (last decades) changes on modes of governance and policy decision-making, we synthesize and try to put in discussion the perspective of some authors, in an approach to the concepts of expert and expertise that take as particular reference the articulations established between these and other concepts, professional fields and nearby spheres of action. Some considerations that have resulted from this analysis indicate an interpretative variability with such amplitude that allows the inclusion of opposite concepts for expert, especially if we consider knowledge formalization level and knowledge specialization level. We also provide some clues about the pertinence of analyzing political decision-making processes through an approach of the expert as a collective figure.

Personal or Impersonal Evaluations? Political Sophistication and Citizen Conceptions of the Democratic Process

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Lauri Rapeli ◽  
Åsa von Schoultz
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Representative Democracy ◽  
Political Sophistication ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
National Election Study ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Political Decision Making

Abstract An energetic scholarly debate discusses possible reforms of representative democracy. Some support participatory forms of democracy, others a more elite-driven or technocratic democracy. This study contributes to the growing literature on the subject by emphasizing political sophistication as a theoretically relevant predictor of attitudes to democracy: different models of democracy make different demands regarding the political sophistication of citizens. The analysis includes two dimensions and three measures of sophistication: personal sophistication measured as political knowledge and internal efficacy, and impersonal sophistication measured as assessment of others’ political competence. Using the 2011 Finnish National Election Study, we find that perceptions of the sophistication of others have a substantial impact on preferences for political decision-making, and that politically sophisticated people support representative democracy. The analysis shows that perceptions of others’ political competence, which has been largely neglected by previous research, is a both theoretically and empirically relevant predictor of preferences for political decision-making processes.

The Internet, Political Participation and Election Turnout: A Case Study of Germany's www.abgeordnetenwatch.de

2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 156-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hartwig Pautz
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Political Participation ◽  
East Germany ◽  
Representative Democracy ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Parliamentary Democracy ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Political Decision Making

Germany's parliamentary democracy appears to be in crisis. The major parties' membership is in decline and barely existing in East Germany, election turnout is decreasing at all levels, and the reputation of politicians has never been worse. At the same time, however, Germans are more interested in politics than in the 1990s, overwhelmingly support democracy, and are keen on participating particularly in local political decision making. Out of this situation emerged www.abgeordnetenwatch.de— a website that aims to re-establish the link between electors and elected by allowing voters and representatives to communicate via a publicly accessible question-andanswer structure. This article addresses the questions of whether such an instrument can revitalize representative democracy and whether it has done so in the context of the 2009 federal elections.

scholarly journals The Importance Of Cooperation Between Local Representatives And Public Institutions In Management Decision-Making

2021 ◽  
Vol 03 (09) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Makhsad Isabayev Bakhodirovich ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Management Decision ◽  
Scientific Article ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Management Decision Making ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Elected Representatives ◽  
Political Decision Making

In this scientific article, international and national legislation on citizens decision-making processes has been investigated, to what extent is the importance of public control in the process of political decision-making, the implementation of citizens' participation in local government directly by itself or through elected representatives (political institutions). Also, practical proposals aimed at increasing the participation of public structures in decision-making were made.

How Literacy Empowers Us

2016 ◽  
pp. 338-347
Author(s):  
Maureen Fitzgerald-Riker
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Civic Engagement ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Social Empowerment ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Political Decision Making

This chapter examines the relationship between literacy and social empowerment. The author contends that literacy evolves at an early age through language acquisition. Literacy extends beyond learning to read - it is the basis of critical thinking, shared reflection, and participation in community and political decision-making. Historically, not everyone has had access to the global literacy essential for civic engagement. Implications for the classroom are included in this article to encourage the development of educational systems that advocate for change while promoting social empowerment and civic engagement.

Participatory Budgeting

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henriette I. Weber ◽  
Sebastian Vogt ◽  
Lisa-Marie Eberz-Weber ◽  
Holger Steinmetz ◽  
Sascha A. Wagner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Democratic Legitimacy ◽  
Participatory Budgeting ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Participation Process ◽  
Political Decision Making

Consultative participation of citizens in political decision-making processes has been increasing in order to facilitate democratic legitimacy and responsiveness. Consequently, participatory budgets have been established as a 'best practice' for consultative participation of citizens in political decision-making processes. The authors compare participatory budgets of 31 German municipalities. An analysis of differences between successfully and unsuccessfully rated participatory budgeting processes provides informative insights and allows for in-depth comparison on a municipal level. The authors show that external service providers and electronic participation channels significantly increase the number of participatory citizens and are positively connected with pursued objectives of dialog processes and public responsiveness as well as efficient and effective decisions. Furthermore, the acceptance of all participants proved to be a key factor for a successful public participation process. The authors' analysis opens up new starting points for further research.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document