Hacking democratic innovations: the problem of agency in deliberative systems
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Empowering citizens through democratic innovations has long been a central goal of government intervention. Despite the transformative rhetoric that has accompanied their implementation, democratic innovations have gained support and political presence, however, while moving away from public decision-making processes. A recent example are deliberative mini-publics. The problem has to do with a conception that relativizes the agency of citizens in political systems, an issue that is very visible in the systemic turn of deliberation. From this perspective, agency is diluted in a dynamic of interconnected deliberative settings far from the decision-making centers. The objective of this essay is to analyze a hybrid deliberative framework conceived from the outset around the political agency of citizens. We show how deliberation can improve participatory systems, without needing to replace agency with diffuse communicative mediation. To do this, we analyze the successes and failures of its implementation in the city of Madrid.
Source: Critical Policy Studies
Authors: Ernesto Ganuza, Alfredo Ramos
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4404190721