Post-democracy

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The term post-democracy was used by Warwick University political scientist Colin Crouch in 2000 in his book Coping with Post-Democracy. It designates states that operate by democratic systems (elections are held, governments fall, and there is freedom of speech), but whose application is progressively limited. That is, a small elite co-opts democratic institutions to give itself decision-making authority. Crouch further developed the idea in an article called Is there a liberalism beyond social democracy? [1] for the think tank Policy Network and in his subsequent book The Strange Non-Death of Neo-Liberalism.

Contents

The term may also denote a general conception of a post-democratic system that may involve other structures of group decision-making and governance than the ones found in contemporary or historical democracy. [2] [3] [4]

Definition

By Crouch's definition: [5]

"A post-democratic society is one that continues to have and to use all the institutions of democracy, but in which they increasingly become a formal shell. The energy and innovative drive pass away from the democratic arena and into small circles of a politico-economic elite."

Crouch states that we are not "living in a post-democratic society, but that we were moving towards such a condition". [5]

Causes

Crouch names the following reasons:

Solutions

According to Crouch there is an important task for social media in which voters can participate more actively in public debates. In addition, these voters would have to join advocacy groups for specific interests. The citizens have to reclaim their place in decision making. He calls this post-post-democracy. Crouch argues that some forms of populism or direct voice of the people might invigorate democracy, but "there must always be another election, and opposition and government parties alike must have the right to go on debating and using political resources in preparation for that moment". [7]

See also

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References

  1. Is there a liberalism beyond social democracy? By Colin Crouch. Policy Network, 5 May 2011.
  2. Cook, Joanna; Long, Nicholas J.; Moore, Henrietta L. (July 2016). The State We're In: Reflecting on Democracy's Troubles. Berghahn Books. ISBN   9781785332258 . Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  3. Popescu, Delia (2012). Political Action in Václav Havel's Thought: The Responsibility of Resistance. Lexington Books. ISBN   9780739149577 . Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  4. Fonte, John. "Democracy's Trojan Horse" (PDF). Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Five minutes with Colin Crouch". London School of Economics . 5 February 2013.
  6. 1 2 Crouch (2004). Post-Democracy. pp. Chapter 2.
  7. Crouch, Colin (2019). "10. Post-Democracy and Populism". The Political Quarterly. 90: 124–137. doi:10.1111/1467-923X.12575.

Verma, Ravindra Kumar "Indian Politics: Haunted by Spectre of Post Democracy?", Indian Journal of Public Administration/SAGE, 63(4), December 2017

Further reading