Reimagining Democracy in an Era of Deep Transition

Abstract

Established democracies face numerous crises, including climate change, environmental degradation, overconsumption and pollution, unsustainable levels of inequality and the potential for disruptive social unrest. Decades of neoliberalism have also undermined democracy, including the idea of democratic society itself, leaving established democracies vulnerable to the rise of toxic leaders. In these circumstances, we must not only strengthen the existing institutions of democracy, we must also reimagine democracy. Drawing on the experiences of the Irish Citizens' Assembly and the UK's Climate Assembly, this paper argues for a ‘vibrant democratic ecology’ that is collaborative, empowering and progressive and that emphasises participatory and deliberative democratic innovations. It calls for the development of new spaces for citizens to revisit the meaning of democracy and to reimagine their role as citizens in collectively shaping democracy in their country and the world.