Democratic Project Research Articles

Theorising democratic space with and beyond Henri Lefebvre

The purpose of this article is to theorise space in a way that resonates with democracy. It develops a radical understanding of democracy, as an affirmative project undertaken by people to directly manage their affairs themselves. To theorise space, the article takes up Henri Lefebvre’s concept of ‘differential space’, which it conceives as an autonomous force that produces itself through the operation of desire. This self-production, Lefebvre argues, takes place in and through everyday acts of survival of those who inhabit space. The article then situates this abstract discussion of space, again following Lefebvre, in the context of ongoing worldwide urbanisation. The urban, Lefebvre argues, has agglomerated not only capitalist productive power but also the differences that exist outside of capitalist logic, and so it is where we should be looking for revolutionary difference in the world today. Taking all these insights together, we can see the project of democracy as an affirmative project undertaken by people to directly manage the production of urban space themselves. Lastly, the article argues that the project of democracy must extend beyond Lefebvre’s thought. It thinks through one example, which is the question of the ‘we’ of democracy. It argues that to properly understand the question of difference in democratic community, we are very well served in turning to the work of Judith Butler.

Review of A Violent Peace: Race, U.S. Militarism, and Cultures of Democratization in Cold War Asia and the Pacific by Christine Hong (Stanford University Press)

Christine Hong’s 'A Violent Peace' examines local and global democratization projects and the many ways that postwar US military tactics and strategies functioned to suppress both counterrevolutionaries abroad in Asia and Black radicals at home in the US. Through literary and visual analyses of works by Ralph Ellison, Ōe Kenzaburō, Miné Okubo, Carlos Bulosan, James Baldwin, and W. E. B. Du Bois, Hong questions how to navigate US post-World War II policies that claim a period of democratized "peace" and racial integration while simultaneously dehumanizing "foreign" bodies through military tactics that police cultural and political belonging.

Everyday code: The project for democracy on our ‘desktop’

This paper examines what I call the project for democracy, by which I mean a perpetual individual-and-collective project to manage our affairs ourselves, in all areas of our lives. The goal of the paper is to understand better what that project entails and how we can carry it out well. To do so, I examine a very prosaic empirical case, the software code that organizes the everyday environment of our personal computing devices: operating systems, window managers, wireless interfaces, system trays, and so on. What would the project of democracy look like in that context? The bulk of the paper is spent fleshing out an answer to that question. I then suggest that the project for democracy in the digital realm of the desktop is just one instance of the wider project for democracy. The desktop can be a little model that can guide and inspire the project for democracy in other arenas, such as the household, the neighborhood, the city, and beyond.

What Future for Constitutional Democracy in South Africa?

South Africa embraced constitutional democracy in 1994 following the collapse of the Apartheid regime. The constitution that was finally passed in 1996 promised the development of a social democratic society. Within two decades, much of the promise contained in its constitutional instrument had been hollowed out. This paper considers the manner in which the ruling party, the African National Congress, embraced a project termed State Capture in which the key guardrails of constitutional democracy were transformed into instruments for the perpetuation of rent seeking by a political elite who effectively eschewed the social democratic project begun in 1994. Apart from the rapacious effect of rent captures the ANC continues to be guided by the idea of democratic centralism in which all its members of the National Parliament place the interests of the party above those of the constitution and thus the nation. Within this context constitutional democracy is viewed as the enemy of the people, personified by the Party. In addition, the paper describes the rise of political populism, the continued high levels of inequality and the vested interests of traditional leaders. It then examines the manner in which these conditions may bring about the replacement of constitutional democracy with a form of autocratic legalism.

Strengthening the Democratic Project: Information as the Foundation of the Fourth Estate

Studies show that citizen dissatisfaction with democracy is on the rise. Equally, trust in public institutions is on the decline, but despite this, citizens desire to shape the future of society is growing. The contribution of this paper is three-fold. First, the varying interpretations of democracy are scrutinised in order to surface the nature of scrutinized liberal democracy. Second, the negative impacts of democracy cycles are highlighted as shaped by the interests of elites in their pursuit of economic gain thus undermining liberal democracy and the adoption of diversity. Third, and through such influence, the independence of the fourth estate is diminished requiring the institutionalisation of the custodiary in order to promote a fourth democratic wave. Thus, the aim of our paper is to surface a free flow of contrasting perspectives from multiple entities and in so doing make the case for regulation which limits undesired monopolistic and oligopolistic interests.

Democratic Values, Pedagogy and Henry Giroux

The present study "Democratic values, pedagogy and Henry Giroux” is an attempt to explore the democratic values in the pedagogy particularly in critical pedagogy in regard to Henry Giroux's perspective. This qualitative research employed descriptive methodology along with using relevant secondary sources for the claim, supporting reasons, and finally develop argumentation based on themes since it is written in the form of argumentation. The finding of this study shows that critical pedagogy as a wider democratic project plays an amicable role to impart democratic values across the country including the classroom practices. However, this relatively new paradigm is also not free from criticism. It is criticized as impractical, misleading and conflict-oriented rather than actually solving the problem.

Ideal and Non-ideal Deliberation: The Problem of Equivocation

I distinguish between ideal and non-ideal deliberation. I outline the relevance of both ideal and non-ideal theorising to show their respective roles and importance. This helps me to demonstrate that neither of them should be downplayed, confused with the other, or substituted. Although it appears more attractive to be an idealist than a non-idealist in a theoretical debate on social systems, I show that such a perception is practically inadequate. I then argue that when we deliberate, we presuppose either ideal or non-ideal deliberation. I demonstrate that it is consistent to stick to one deliberative presupposition in the same context, and I show that shifting from one deliberative presupposition to another in the same argument or context, is equivocation. I demonstrate how this kind of equivocation confuses and derails the debate. As a case study, I focus on the debate about consensual democracy in Africa. I seek in this essay to contribute lessons regarding the relationship between ideal and non-ideal theorising to the global project of deliberative democracy.

The Problem of Integrity of the Integral Democracy Project

The topic of this paper is the most important principles of the concept of integral democracy created by Stasys Šalkauskis, Antanas Maceina and other Lithuanian interwar and post-war exodus intellectuals. The genesis and development of the ideas of integral democracy in interwar Lithuania are analyzed, also the influence of the experiences of World War II, occupations, totalitarian regimes and living in exodus on this concept. The projects of integral democracy, organic state and non-worldview politics are reviewed in their historical and intellectual context of Lithuania and the Lithuanian diaspora in exodus, starting from the origins of the idea and the concept of the organic state, also the most important criticism of it. The second part of the paper reviews the most important assumptions and ideas that unite the whole project from the 1936 concept of the organic state to the 1954–1955 ideas of integral democracy. Finally, looking at the fundamental differences between the two concepts the essence and key features of the project of full democracy are highlighted.

Democracy and teachers: the im/possibilities for pluralisation in evidence-based practice

ABSTRACT In this paper, we draw on policy sociology and democratic theory to illustrate how evidence-based practice not only limits teachers’ capacities to exercise professional discretion and authority, but also jeopardises the democratic project of schooling more broadly. Using theoretical concepts from Foucault’s discipline with Connolly’s pluralisation, we argue that evidence-based practice disciplines teachers to comply with a prescribed set of criteria, which constrains their capacity to respond to the evolving and emergent needs of their students and communities. Our argument is built from two projects conducted separately, but concurrently, in Australia and Denmark. The projects involved in-depth interviews with teachers, extensive observations within schools, and the collection and analysis of policy documents and artefacts. Using illustrative excerpts from both studies, we show how teacher participants expressed and embodied inclinations to do (or be) differently, but nonetheless felt the need to adhere to what the evidence established as the right way to do or be. In our view, this points to an increasingly rigid ontological space through which teachers can do, be and become, which raises questions about the extent to which an ‘ethos of pluralisation’ is possible within these schools.

From Alternative Facts to Tentative Truths: Towards a Post-postmodern Dialogic Epistemology

Drawing attention to today’s epistemic crisis, this article seeks to reflect on the role of adult education in addressing this crisis and thereby fostering our democracies. We argue for the need of developing a new shared epistemic basis, a post-postmodern dialogic epistemology. This article presents three core components for this: (1) universalism and particularism, (2) embracing epistemic humility, and (3) seeking for dialogue and the public use of reason. Starting with recognizing the value of postmodern critiques on the Enlightenment ideas of rational thinking and its practices of rigid categorizations, we update key concepts of Enlightenment thinking, such as the power of judgment, human epistemic fallibility, and public reasoning. The modern value of the Enlightenment lies for us predominantly in the democratic educational project that it started. In this light, we see adult education as a (public) space dedicated to developing epistemic responsibility.

Progressive Urbanism in Small Towns: The Contingencies of Governing From the Left

The progressive potential of urban politics is the subject of growing interest. However, debates have been largely focused on large cities with strong progressive constituencies of activists and Left-voting residents. We know little about the opportunities and challenges for progressive politics in smaller urban areas. This article addresses these shortcomings through a discussion of “progressive urbanism” in relation to small towns. In doing so, it makes three main contributions. First, it provides a definition of progressive urbanism as political projects of social justice, citizenship and democracy exploring the contingent potential of “localism,” “urban movements” and “municipal government.” Second, the article provides empirical insights on small towns in the German state of Brandenburg governed by mayors of the Left Party. Third, the article outlines challenges and opportunities of progressive urbanism in small towns, providing points of reflection for future research.

Structured dialogical design as a problem structuring method illustrated in a Re-invent democracy project

This article proposes the importance of admitting into the repertoire of Problem Structuring Methods for (Community) Operational Research, the methodology called Structured Dialogical Design (SDD). Problem Structuring Methods are described in the literature as facilitating transparent and participative ways of formulating and systemically modelling problems with a view to participants’ co-defining alternative futures. We reflect upon the contribution of SDD as lying in its appreciation of “third phase science” and discuss links to other deliberative processes. We indicate why SDD can be classed as “problem structuring” despite the near absence of publicisation in the Operational Research (OR) literature to date. We discuss distinct contributions that the SDD offers to the OR world and indicate how it strengthens and extends Community OR, contributes to Critical Systems Thinking in OR, and offers new mathematical approaches that the Community OR practitioners may wish to consider using. By way of illustration, we showcase the “European Initiative” as an aspect of a large-scale project across five geographical regions funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund, in conjunction with the Future Worlds centre (2016–2018). It engaged as stakeholders five cohorts of youth pioneers concerned with formulating options for Re-inventing democracy in the digital age.

Assessing and Improving Political Learning and Engagement on College Campuses

Author Note Nancy Thomas, Institute for Democracy and Higher Education, Tufts University; Leah A. Murray, Political Science and Philosophy, and Walker Institute of Politics and Public Service, Weber State University; Kyle Upchurch, Institute for Democracy and Higher Education, Tufts University; Catherine A. Copeland, American Democracy Project, American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Correspondence regarding […]

Feature: The American Democracy Project

The American Democracy Project (ADP), housed at the American Association of State College and Universities (AASCU), aims to help institutions produce college and university graduates who are equipped with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and experiences they need to be informed and engaged members of their communities. ADP integrates reciprocity, co-design, attentive listening, and mutual respect […]

Post-capitalist marketization in Northern Kurdistan

Dominated by conflict, Turkey’s Kurdish question has transformed over time, opening up new areas of inquiry. Under the Democratic Autonomy project, ongoing since the mid-2000s, Turkey’s Kurdish Movement has promoted cooperatives and communes – a post-capitalist marketization project – in Northern Kurdistan. Drawing upon economization studies and diverse and community economies studies’ engagement with assemblage thinking, this paper scrutinizes the retailers’ cooperative model the Movement experimented with and explains the practices linked to post-capitalist marketization: creating inclusive platforms for debate, incorporating ordinary actors as experts, and upscaling post-capitalist marketization through building relations with other cooperatives.

Refining the UN E-participation Index: Introducing the deliberative assessment using the Varieties of Democracy data

The E-Participation Index of the United Nations E-Government Survey (EPI) has become an important data source on e-participation progress around the globe. However, its validity is often questioned by scholars, pointing out that the EPI measures technological aspects only and overlook the socio-political context. As a refinement, researchers usually utilize composite liberal democracy indices which, in turn, create new problems with the interpretation of the index, conceptualization, operationalization and measurement of e-participation success. This paper proposes an alternative refinement, based on the approach to the deliberativeness evaluation proposed by the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project. This brings the refined EPI closer to the original understanding of e-participation and leads to a more accurate measurement of government e-participation policies, as a twofold capacity to build technological infrastructure of e-participation and sustain a dialogue with citizens in policymaking. The new index reveals important distinctions between and within democratic and non-democratic countries, bridging the quantitative assessments with the existing case-studies.

Cities and Countryside: An International Law Perspective

Cities, as spaces of socio-cultural organization and economic interaction among people, have always played a dominant role in the development and implementation of international law. Today, a new strand of legal scholarship focuses on cities and local communities as competitors and partners with the nation State in a new project of modernization and democratization of international law. This paper looks at this new trend against the background of the historical narrative of cities in the development of international law. At the same time, it calls attention to the fact that half of humanity still lives and works in rural areas, in the vast countryside of the world. Rural communities have been the servants of the city since the beginning of time. Today, their dignity and rights are beginning to be recognized by acts of the United Nations such as the 2007 Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the 2018 Declaration on the Rights of Peasants. Yet, these people remain a disadvantaged and vulnerable class. A true modernization and democratization of international law requires that we keep a balanced approach to the legal recognition of the voices and rights of urban communities and those of the people who work and live in the countryside of the world.

Is another democracy possible in schools? Challenges to create a truly democratic school

In most schools everywhere, democracy and participation continue to be carried out through the usual channels based on representative democracy and the vote of elected representatives. However, this reality is not monolithic, and we do find centers committed to practise a full and more profound democracy. Based on a case study, the article analyzes the theoretical and practical approach of Germinal School. Despite some difficulties, this school has successfully implemented a project of radical democracy, both through micropolitics and daily pedagogical action. This article also examines why it is so difficult to democratize school and how to create a truly democratic institution. Finally, we address the possibility of extending the democratic model presented here to other schools.

Activists Against Autocrats: TSMO Networks and Democratic Diffusion

Do transnational social movement organizations (TSMOs) promote the international diffusion of democracy? If so, how? Scholars of democratization have studied a plethora of international factors in the spread of democracy, including geographic or regional proximity, colonial history, trade and alliance networks, and joint inter-governmental organization (IGO) memberships. Few have studied the role of TSMO networks in democratic diffusion. We theorize that TSMOs empower and connect civil societies and thus promote democracy from the “bottom up.” Leveraging a new TSMO Dataset and data on the dimensions of democracy from the Varieties of Democracy project over the 1953–2013 period, we find that TSMOs promote democratic diffusion. TSMOs are strongest at diffusing participatory democracy. TSMOs also contribute to the diffusion of electoral democracy but do so by promoting the diffusion of freedom of association and freedom of expression rather than elections.

Assessing Data Quality: An Approach and An Application

AbstractPolitical scientists routinely face the challenge of assessing the quality (validity and reliability) of measures in order to use them in substantive research. While stand-alone assessment tools exist, researchers rarely combine them comprehensively. Further, while a large literature informs dataproducers, dataconsumerslack guidance on how to assess existing measures for use in substantive research. We delineate a three-component practical approach to data quality assessment that integrates complementary multimethod tools to assess: (1) content validity; (2) the validity and reliability of the data generation process; and (3) convergent validity. We apply our quality assessment approach to the corruption measures from the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project, both illustrating our rubric and unearthing several quality advantages and disadvantages of the V-Dem measures, compared to other existing measures of corruption.