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Engineering Democracy

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  • Ricardo Blaug

Abstract

This paper presents a critical assessment of current initiatives to deepen democracy and seeks to examine why they often fail. By analysing their various, and conflicting, conceptions of participation and associational life, it argues that many of the difficulties they encounter can be attributed to a usually unexamined set of organisational assumptions. These assumptions are then inspected in order to analyse the breakdown of communication that can occur between incumbent social engineers trying to institutionalize more democracy, and those more critical and grassroots initiatives which emanate from the periphery of power. With this distinction in view, a series of recurrent problems around the institutionalization of democratic processes are investigated. Finally, the paper explores the implications of the distinction for how we can aid and deepen democracy more effectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Ricardo Blaug, 2002. "Engineering Democracy," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 50(1), pages 102-116, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:polstu:v:50:y:2002:i:1:p:102-116
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-9248.00361
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    Cited by:

    1. Manuel Hensmans, 2021. "Exploring the dark and bright sides of Internet democracy: Ethos-reversing and ethos-renewing digital transformation," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/321232, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    2. Georgina Blakeley, 2010. "Governing Ourselves: Citizen Participation and Governance in Barcelona and Manchester," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(1), pages 130-145, March.
    3. Carolyn M. Hendriks, 2006. "Integrated Deliberation: Reconciling Civil Society's Dual Role in Deliberative Democracy," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 54(3), pages 486-508, October.
    4. Henrik Serup Christensen, 2019. "Boosting Political Trust with Direct Democracy? The Case of the Finnish Citizens’ Initiative," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(2), pages 173-186.
    5. Hensmans, Manuel, 2021. "Exploring the dark and bright sides of Internet democracy: Ethos-reversing and ethos-renewing digital transformation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    6. Christensen, Henrik Serup, 2019. "How citizens evaluate participatory processes: A conjoint analysis," SocArXiv 5t72a, Center for Open Science.
    7. Koen Bartels, 2017. "The double bind of social innovation: Relational dynamics of change and resistance in neighbourhood governance," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(16), pages 3789-3805, December.
    8. Sonia Bussu & Koen P.R. Bartels, 2014. "Facilitative Leadership and the Challenge of Renewing Local Democracy in Italy," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(6), pages 2256-2273, November.

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