Democratic Point Of View Research Articles

Democracy paradoxes in multi-level governance: theorizing on structural fund system research

This article examines the EU structural fund system from a democratic point of view and starts theorizing on the nature of basic democracy problems. The analysis is guided by a parliamentary, a pluralistic and an élite-democratic model. None of these models seems to fit well with how the system works in practice, summarized as top-down and technocratic with important vertical co-ordination between administrative levels, which tends to marginalize the role of democratic institutions. Five types of fundamental problem are identified and analysed in terms of democracy paradoxes (multi-level, vertical, economic, horizontal, multi-demos). It is difficult to dissolve these paradoxes because they reflect existing structural fund institutions. In order to democratize, they need to be challenged, either by regulating partnerships in a more democratic way or by challenging the partnership principle with the parliamentary principle.

Australian Democracy and Priveleged Parliamentary Speech

This article responds to recent cases of parliamentary speech which reflect the ascendancy of a totalising ‘mainstream’ approach to public discourse and a political leadership that may, at times, be overly attentive to the majority-rule dimension of democracy. These developments spark a more general discussion of the phenomenology of privileged parliamentary speech, the role of speech freedoms in liberal democratic orders and the duties of parliamentary representatives within them. I make two general conclusions. First, the ways in which we normally argue and think about free speech will not generally apply to the speech of parliamentarians because their speech rights cannot be universalised. Secondly, even if parliamentary speech could be treated as standard speech there would be no legitimate defence (from a liberal democratic point of view) for a strictly populist approach to its use since this could undermine the deliberative function of parliament and lead to the violation of other important liberal democratic principles.

The Brazilian Way of Conquering the “Right to the City”

The aim of this paper is to discuss and examine some present Brazilian urban planning and management approaches and experiences in urban development which attempt to overcome the dominant “development-as-modernization” view. These approaches and experiences are all either directly (“new master plans”) or indirectly (“participatory budgeting”) related to the idea of an “urban reform.” In the contemporary parlance of Brazilian progressive scholars, “urban reform” possesses a particular meaning: It does not mean just a reshaping of the space, whatever its ideological substance, but a transformation of specific aspects of city life itself in order to attain the goals of social justice and equity. I assume that a significantly positive contribution of alternative urban planning and participatory budgeting from a radically democratic viewpoint is their contribution to a demystification of the planning process, which no longer can be considered as a purely technical matter. At the same time, they can contribute to the moral rehabilitation of urban planning itself as planning can then be understood as something necessary but radically different from technocratic planning—namely as a tool for social justice.

The Kenya SAREAT international IDEA democracy workshop

The report of the Nairobi workshop on 22 June 2000 which follows forms part of a pilot project of democracy assessments conducted under the auspices of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) in Stockholm, and its Director of applied research, Dr. Patrick Molutsi. The purpose of these country assessments is to answer such questions as 'How democratic are we? How much progress have we made? Which are the issues that give the most cause for public concern, from a democratic point of view? The assessment framework being used has been developed through a process of widespread international consultation, and builds on a methodology that was first used for the Democratic Audit of the UK. The assessment criteria are derived in the first instance from basic democratic values, such as equality, participation, representativeness, accountability, solidarity, and only secondarily from the institutional arrangements through which these values are to a greater or lesser extent realised. Although the assessment framework provides a common instrument for use in any country, it treats democracy as a comparative matter - of more or less -and allows the in-country assessors to define for themselves what the appropriate standards or comparators for assessment should be, as well as how the assessment should be compiled and presented.

EU counter‐terrorism, the Maastricht third pillar and liberal democratic acceptability

The article examines the effectiveness of the Maastricht Third Pillar's internal security provisions with respect to the fight against terrorism. An assessment of EU internal security cooperation is made from a perspective that takes into account questions of both operational anti‐terrorist proficiency and democratic acceptability. Police and security forces throughout the European Union (EU) have strongly endorsed the Third Pillar as providing an efficient response to serious criminality. However, from a liberal democratic point of view the Maastricht provisions raise extremely serious questions concerning the lack of critical public debate and systems of accountability within the EU. Close coordination between member states is definitely necessary if terrorism is to be effectively countered in the region. However, it is vital that in the headlong rush to provide for an enhanced international operational capacity critical considerations of democratic control are not lost. One cannot expect to gain the ty...

THE INFORMATION GAP AND MUNICIPAL POLITICS IN SWEDEN

This article deals with three aspects of the well-known “information gap” phenomenon. The author takes a starting point from a broadened definition of the information gap including not only knowledgeability itself, but also the information processes that precede and follow it, i.e., information seeking and dissemination. The subject area is local politics in Sweden in 1979 and it is claimed that less well-educated people are above average on exposure to information, slightly below average on knowledgeability, and far below average on dissemination. From a normative democratic point of view a concluding remark is that the “influence gap” might be more of a threat than the information gap.

Review Symposium : II. The Swedish Working Class from a Social Democratic Point of View

Review Symposium : II. The Swedish Working Class from a Social Democratic Point of View

Home and Family Life Education

A GLANCE AT CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN SOCIETY makes clear the important relation between family living and citizenship. The family gives the child his first experiences in group living and, hence, is a potential factor in developing attitudes and abilities, either desirable or undesirable from a democratic point of view. Teachers and social workers are aware of these effects in terms of juvenile delinquency, of attitudes toward minority groups, of tendencies to be considerate of others' rights and needs, and of a willingness to assume responsibility, to name but a few. An educational program, taking cognizance of interests and needs at various age levels from preschool thru adulthood, may well accept as one of its major purposes that of aiding family members to assume their roles effectively both in the small family group and in the larger community group. The effect of family life on the efficiency of the worker has been demonstrated: family discord, poor food, and inefficient money management promote irritation and inefficiency on the job. Also as the number of married women gainfully employed continues to increase, need for a greater sharing of home responsibilities by all family members becomes apparent. The changing of attitudes regarding masculine responsibilities and the teaching of technics of housekeeping take on greater importance for the entire family and pose problems for educators. Many agencies are at present concerned with education for home and family life. The numbers and types of agencies have increased rapidly in recent years as recognition of the need for education in this area has become more apparent. Doubtless, research has aided in the increasing awareness of need and in the effectiveness of programs, but more and better studies are imperative. This review of research in the past three years has attempted to report and evaluate the most important published studies. Little attention has been given to consumer education as it relates to home and family life, however, since a recent publication (20) summarized investigations in this area. No studies were found which reported adaptations of programs due to wartime conditions, but it is known that changes have been made in particular schools or colleges. At the secondary level emphasis has been increased in nutrition, food preservation, child development, and care and repair of clothing and equipment. Colleges also have given greater consideration to these aspects and some have accelerated their programs.