Concept
Democracy is currently under discussion in a very wide spectrum of contexts. For instance as a future political system for the Arab countries of North Africa, which are searching for a new political order following the overthrow of their dictatorships. To the young elites in these countries, democracy is a guarantor of economic and social upswing, opportunities for the future and participation in political decision-making. At the same time, they are also calling the functionality of our existing democratic systems into question.
The financial crisis has highlighted the apparent or genuine powerlessness of national governments in dealing with global economy players and has resulted in a not insignificant loss of trust in the ability of political players to govern. This state of affairs, described by Colin Crouch as “post-democracy”, applies to the increasing scepticism about the validity conditions of the classical nation-state. Regulatory necessities that cannot be effectively processed and implemented within the nation-state framework – such as climate protection issues, financial market regulation, taxation issues, etc. - are increasingly dominating the political agenda.
A series of questions arise from this situation that can be discussed world-wide in a wide spectrum of forms: what influence do democratically legitimised representatives still have when crucial sectors of society are withdrawn from political oversight and control? How is the relationship between the individual, the state and the economy to be regulated in such a case? In what ways does democracy come under pressure through the experience of chronic economic crisis? To what extent is social peace contingent on the promise of continually rising prosperity, and what are the consequences of challenging the growth paradigm for the acceptance of our systems of political governance? How can the loss of legitimacy for politics be addressed? What institutions are needed to make effective supranational decisions and render them binding?
Particularly in view of the protest movements in Greece, Spain, Israel, Moscow and New York and the London riots, a multinational debate on these questions can formulate reference points for these issues that lead beyond national discourses.
Format of the events
In four live events, experts and public audiences in Munich and four pairs of cities –Cairo and Madrid, Beijing and London, Washington D.C. and Athens, Moscow and Budapest – will debate via video conference. In this way, a mutual global conversation will arise, with many voices and in many languages. “Mapping Democracy” is investigating the current discourse on democracy in all its ambivalence.
The financial crisis has highlighted the apparent or genuine powerlessness of national governments in dealing with global economy players and has resulted in a not insignificant loss of trust in the ability of political players to govern. This state of affairs, described by Colin Crouch as “post-democracy”, applies to the increasing scepticism about the validity conditions of the classical nation-state. Regulatory necessities that cannot be effectively processed and implemented within the nation-state framework – such as climate protection issues, financial market regulation, taxation issues, etc. - are increasingly dominating the political agenda.
A series of questions arise from this situation that can be discussed world-wide in a wide spectrum of forms: what influence do democratically legitimised representatives still have when crucial sectors of society are withdrawn from political oversight and control? How is the relationship between the individual, the state and the economy to be regulated in such a case? In what ways does democracy come under pressure through the experience of chronic economic crisis? To what extent is social peace contingent on the promise of continually rising prosperity, and what are the consequences of challenging the growth paradigm for the acceptance of our systems of political governance? How can the loss of legitimacy for politics be addressed? What institutions are needed to make effective supranational decisions and render them binding?
Particularly in view of the protest movements in Greece, Spain, Israel, Moscow and New York and the London riots, a multinational debate on these questions can formulate reference points for these issues that lead beyond national discourses.
Format of the events
In four live events, experts and public audiences in Munich and four pairs of cities –Cairo and Madrid, Beijing and London, Washington D.C. and Athens, Moscow and Budapest – will debate via video conference. In this way, a mutual global conversation will arise, with many voices and in many languages. “Mapping Democracy” is investigating the current discourse on democracy in all its ambivalence.
