In the Long Run: the Future as a Political Idea (Profile Books, 2024) (original) (raw)
Related papers
Why the far-future matters to democracy today
Futures, 2005
As the complexity of social and political interaction becomes increasingly over-whelming it is only natural that the pragmatic, technocratic, and expert-driven character of contemporary policy-making is even further consolidated. Though making use of existing knowledge this approach may lead to a deprivation of the democratic debate as the time horizons are shortened and the number of significantly different policies is restrained by the framework within which decisions are to be made.This article analyses the tension between a more holistic or even ‘utopian’ attitude to policy-making and the trial-and-error piecemeal approach which today seems to be prevailing in the industrial countries. It is argued that a theoretical distinction made by Leszek Kolakowski may help us overcome that tension. The distinction is then applied to the classical stage-heuristic for policy-making leading to a discussion about how the power of far-future visions can be brought into the nexus of democratic deliberation.The article also examines how different time-frames may cause diverging practical policy-recommendations. Finally, the paradoxical merit of negative visions, as in the dystopian literary genre, is presented.
'We live in a democracy'-this is a familiar mantra used by people in the Western world. In reality, however, we do not live in a democracy. The mode of running elections to make them appear democratic is not sufficient to legitimately call them so if people selected and eventually elected are not chosen by the general population but by political parties. Party members join parties on their own volition; they have not been asked by their grass roots communities to do so. Later on, such volunteer-members who have joined a party may become nominees for the positions in the lower or higher chambers of councils or parliaments1. So we must clearly see that the politicians we have in place today have chosen their jobs as a carrier choice and have not been democratically selected by their respectful constituencies. As a humanity, as individuals and the collective of people, we desperately need to change the political paradigm.
Prefiguring the Future of Democracy
2020
At the end of January 2020, I discovered a paper by Sean Coughlan entitled “Dissatisfaction with democracy within developed countries is at its highest level in 25 years” on the BBC website. This article summarised the findings of a worldwide survey carried out by the University of Cambridge’s Centre for the Future of Democracy that revealed that the proportion of the global population that was dissatisfied with democracy reached 58 per cent in 2019. “Confidence in democracy has been slipping because democratic institutions have been seen failing to address some of the major crises of our era, from economic crashes to the threat of global warming,” said Dr. Roberto Foa, the main author of the study.
California Italian Studies, 2011
This article considers why the idea of an ideal or planned political future for Italy went into decline in the last quarter of the twentieth century, after having dominated the country’s political thinking for much of the modern era. What form did imagined futures take in the traditions of both left and right? Why did this way of thinking virtually disappear after the mid 1970s? What are the signs that future-oriented thinking may be starting to reappear in the twenty-first century?
The Future of Democracy: introduction
2015
In this article the special issue on the future of democracy is introduced with a discussion of the rationale and a brief overview of the contributions that follow. In addition the authors highlight four major themes that run through the special issue. These themes are: the measurement of democracy, the importance of time and context for understanding democracy, the importance of institutions in the process of democratization, and the differential role of government and opposition in democracy. The article finishes with a conclusion about the plural nature and possible futures for democracy.
The Future of Democracy: Challenges & Prospects
Unprecedented speed, interconnectivity, complexity and uncertainty are impacting all spheres of global society today, presenting challenges that were not foreseen even a few years ago. The end of the Cold War was interpreted by many as the final victory for democracy and capitalism over authoritarian socialism. A quarter century after the sudden collapse of communism and the emergence of a new democratic consensus, liberal democracy itself is under threat. Former bastions of democracy are exhibiting a level of populism and polarization previously associated only with nascent, tenuous democracies in countries with low levels of education and economic development. The shared vision that constituted the foundation for the democratic consensus is breaking down. Doubts, fears and insecurity have shaken faith in the institutions of governance and the confidence of youth in a better future. Nations are closing their borders, retreating from global cooperation, and casting the blame on minorities and foreigners in a manner reminiscent of an earlier century. Participants in the WAAS Roundtable on the Future of Democracy at Dubrovnik on April 3-5, 2018 recognized that this shift in direction is the result of a complex nexus of forces that have been shaping the future for decades. The group shared valuable insights into our present dilemma while maintaining the diversity of perspective essential for understanding a complex, multidimensional global phenomenon still in the process of unfolding. The discussion identified numerous practical steps that can be taken to moderate extreme aberrations resulting from the misuse of social power. It also recognized that fundamental changes are needed to develop more effective systems of governance capable of fully supporting the aspirations of humanity, maximizing the equity and effectiveness of social institutions and the future evolution of global society.
Democracy's Future: Riding the Hegemonic Wave
The Washington Quarterly, 2018
Fears of democratic decline wax and wane, and each time the threats seem unprecedented. The rise of China, the Trump presidency, the use of social media to subvert elections—today these appear to be new challenges with few historical parallels. Yet the anxieties that they evoke find close parallels in the debates over democracy’s fate for over a century. Because the evolution of modern democracy—its global spread and retreat over the past century—has followed a surprisingly specific pattern. Since the end of World War I, the rise and fall of democratic institutions has been marked by abrupt democratic waves, often triggered by abrupt shifts in the structure of hegemonic power.
The future of democracy: the end of democracy as we know it
2019
Purpose – The purpose of this article is to explore the future of democracy, given the transition the countriesoftheworldareexperiencing. Methodology – The paper draws on literature concerning democracy, ICT and artificial intelligence. A framework for understanding the working of democracy is developed. This framework or model is tested in 20countries,andconclusionsarepresented. Findings – Globally, there is a shift taking place away from representative democracy toward less democraticformsofgovernment. Originality – Moststudiesareimplicitlydogmaticinassumingthatrepresentativedemocracyisasuperior formofgovernment.Theinfluencesofcorporations,mediaandtheelitearemovingrepresentativedemocracy awayfromtheidealofdemocracy. Conclusions – The future of democracy is uncertain. It is not likely that representative democracy will become the universal form of government. Global government is possible, but it is not likely to be a representativedemocracy. Keywords Democracy,Directdemocracy,Rulebyexperts,Rulebyastrongleader,Rulebythemilitary PapertypeConceptualpaper