Triumph, deficit or contestation? : deepening the 'deepening democracy' debate
Year: 2006
Type: report
Abstract: Around the world concepts and constructions of democracy are under \ncontestation. Some analysts see the spread of democratic institutional designs \nas evidence of democracy’s triumph. Others – across both north and south – \npoint to growing democratic deficits, and how they threaten democratic \nlegitimacy. Following a review of these debates, this paper focuses on emerging \ndebates within what is often referred to as the ‘deepening democracy’ field, a \nschool of thinking that focuses on the political project of developing and \nsustaining more substantive and empowered citizen participation in the \ndemocratic process than is often found in representative democracy alone. \nWithin this ‘school’, the paper explores four broad approaches – ‘civil society’ \ndemocracy, participatory democracy, deliberative democracy and empowered \nparticipatory governance – and how they differ from one another as well as \nfrom ‘thinner’ forms of democracy associated with liberal and neoliberal \nthinking. The paper argues that democracy-building is an ongoing process of \nstruggle and contestation rather than the adoption of a standard institutional \ndesign, and poses a series of challenges which future conceptual and practical \nwork on deepening democracy may need to address. \nKeywords: democracy, governance, participation, deliberation, citizenship, rights, \ninclusion, civil society
Source: Figshare
Author: John Gaventa
Institution: Institute of Development Studies
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1760667395