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Ecological Reflexivity, Engagement, and Institutions: Implementing Environmental and Ecological Justice

David Schlosberg

in Defining Environmental Justice: Theories, Movements, and Nature

The focus of this final chapter is on how environmental and ecological justice can be applied in both state political practice and in the public realm. This conclusion explores practices of ... More

The focus of this final chapter is on how environmental and ecological justice can be applied in both state political practice and in the public realm. This conclusion explores practices of ecological reflexivity and political engagement, and suggestions for democratic and institutional transformations, which can help us implement a broad and pluralist notion of environmental and ecological justice.Less

Managing the Multinational State

David D. Laitin

in Nations, States, and Violence

While not a culprit in fostering violence, there is a downside to cultural diversity: it weakens the social solidarity necessary for a healthy public life. It is therefore imperative to find a route ... More

While not a culprit in fostering violence, there is a downside to cultural diversity: it weakens the social solidarity necessary for a healthy public life. It is therefore imperative to find a route toward the management of diversity that does not compromise economic growth or the efficient production of public goods. This chapter proposes a route to managing the costs of diversity, which has the added potential of enhancing democratic participation. It serves as a normative response to the political trends outlined in the previous chapters. While the route that outlined is designed for rich democratic states, the chapter draws some implications of the proposal for poor countries that suffer from abysmal levels of public goods provision.Less

Democracy and ecological governance – a balancing act

Lennart J. Lundqvist

in Sweden and Ecological Governance: Straddling the Fence

This chapter highlights the importance of achieving the right balance between democracy and ecological governance. It explains that while ecological governance for sustainability must profoundly ... More

This chapter highlights the importance of achieving the right balance between democracy and ecological governance. It explains that while ecological governance for sustainability must profoundly affect all and everyone in order to be successful, it cannot achieve legitimacy without offering each and everyone a possibility to participate in the formation and implementation of such governance. This chapter discusses ways by which democratic participation could be promoted and individual autonomy safeguarded in a system of governance geared towards ecological sustainability. It characterizes the formal ecological governance in Sweden as an open political process which provides common access to information and safeguards individual rights and freedom of choice.Less

Conclusion: quo vadis democracy?

Matt Qvortrup

in The Politics of Participation: From Athens to E-Democracy

This chapter concludes the book with a discussion of future the prospects for democracy. It sums up the argument, makes recommendations for future studies, and offers suggestions for new forms of ... More

This chapter concludes the book with a discussion of future the prospects for democracy. It sums up the argument, makes recommendations for future studies, and offers suggestions for new forms of participation. Contrary to the often negative assessment of the state of citizen engagement, this chapter contends that if citizen politics is to thrive, a broadening of the political system itself is required to allow for different forms of democratic participation.Less

Federalism and the Tug of War Within

Erin Ryan

in Federalism and the Tug of War Within

Chapter two takes on the critical question of why the Constitution establishes a federal system at all. After considering the political origins of federalism, the fraught relationship between ... More

Chapter two takes on the critical question of why the Constitution establishes a federal system at all. After considering the political origins of federalism, the fraught relationship between structural federalism and first-order policy concerns, and the distinction between true federalism and decentralization, it explores the individual principles of good government on which federalism is premised. It reviews how federalism fosters: (1) checks and balances between state and federal power that safeguard individuals against overreaching or abdication by either side; (2) transparent and accountable governance that enables meaningful democratic participation at all points on the jurisdictional spectrum; (3) local autonomy and diversity that give rise to the interjurisdictional competition and innovation of federalism’s great “laboratory of ideas;” and (4) problem-solving synergy between the unique capacities of local and national government for coping with different parts of interjurisdictional problems. The chapter discusses the how the checks and balances of jurisdictional overlap establish as powerful a bulwark against tyranny as those of jurisdictional separation, and it explores the provenance of federalism’s underappreciated problem-solving value within the subsidiarity principle.Less

Democratic Federalism: The National Legislature

Robert P. Inman and Daniel L. Rubinfeld

in Democratic Federalism: The Economics, Politics, and Law of Federal Governance

This chapter details the likely economic, democratic, and rights performance of a decentralized national legislature with representatives elected from geographically specified local districts. The ... More

This chapter details the likely economic, democratic, and rights performance of a decentralized national legislature with representatives elected from geographically specified local districts. The national legislature is assigned responsibility for national public goods and services and national regulations. Decisions in the legislature are made by simple majority rule. Independent local governments continue to be responsible for important local services, perhaps provided concurrently with the national government. On the dimensions of democratic participation and the protection of rights and liberties, Democratic Federalism is likely to do well, provided all citizens are represented in the legislature. It is on the dimension of economic efficiency that legislature-only Democratic Federalism is most likely to fall short.Less

The Future of Deliberation and Dialogue Studies

Jon Van Til and Dolly Ford

in Resolving Community Conflicts and Problems: Public Deliberation and Sustained Dialogue

This chapter concludes that sustained dialogue and democratic deliberation may be seen as part of an ongoing intellectual movement that finds a basic test of democracy in the quantity and quality of ... More

This chapter concludes that sustained dialogue and democratic deliberation may be seen as part of an ongoing intellectual movement that finds a basic test of democracy in the quantity and quality of the public dialogue that it engenders. The two practices are at the heart of the concept of democratic participation in solving entrenched problems, and such public conversations can work in a variety of settings to enhance the role of citizens as active members of a democratic society. In addition, sustained dialogue is not only important theoretically as a component of active democratic participation, but it is also a tool to advance the quality of individual and community life.Less

Reputation-Based Democratic Participation

in Reputation-Based Governance

Reputation-based governance provides a more direct route for citizens to influence the choice of policies by directly ascribing to them a role in their selection. This chapter considers how forms of ... More

Reputation-based governance provides a more direct route for citizens to influence the choice of policies by directly ascribing to them a role in their selection. This chapter considers how forms of participative democracy can be established. It focuses on the procedural aspects of democratic practices: within a governance process, every chance of democratic participation rests on the presence of procedures of some type. These may be formally coded, as in the case of a referendum to abrogate a law, or they may be quite informal, as in a public demonstration attended by citizens who hope to put pressure on their government in favor or against some policy. Notwithstanding the obvious differences between these two cases, both can usefully be thought of as procedures. The chapter illustrates these issues by referring to a well-known case, namely the “participative budget” of the Brazilian city Porto Alegre.Less

The Procedural Tools of Interpretive Balancing

Erin Ryan

in Federalism and the Tug of War Within

The preceding positive account provides foundation for Chapter Ten’s critical normative claim: that federalism bargaining is not only a pragmatic solution to a problem of doctrinal uncertainty, but ... More

The preceding positive account provides foundation for Chapter Ten’s critical normative claim: that federalism bargaining is not only a pragmatic solution to a problem of doctrinal uncertainty, but can itself be a legitimate way of interpreting federalism, when federalism interpretation is understood as a way of constraining public agencies to act consistently with constitutional directives. Federalism bargaining achieves interpretive status when it procedurally incorporates not only the mutual consent principles that legitimize bargaining in general, but also the fundamental federalism values that should guide federalism interpretation in any forum. After all, the core federalism values are essentially realized through good governance procedure: (1) the maintenance of checks and balances to protect individuals against sovereign excess or abdication; (2) the protection of accountability and transparency to ensure meaningful democratic participation; (3) the preference for process that fosters local innovation, variation, and competition; and (4) the cultivation of regulatory space for harnessing synergy between local and national capacity when needed to cope with interjurisdictional problems. Incorporating these values into the bargaining process allows negotiators to interpret federalism directives procedurally when consensus on the substance is unavailable. The more bargaining process incorporates mutual consent and federalism values, the more it warrants judicial deference as a means of federalism interpretation. Interpretive bargaining becomes less legitimate as factual circumstances depart from the assumptions of mutual consent—when bargainers cannot freely opt out, understand their own interests, or be trusted to faithfully represent their principals—and when procedures contravene core federalism values. When reviewing federalism challenges to such bargaining, the judicial role shifts to deferential oversight for these criteria. Drawing on the procedural application of fair bargaining and federalism values, negotiated governance opens possibilities for filling the inevitable interpretive gaps left by unilateral mandates. Indeed, it has been doing so all along. Chapter Ten’s analysis provides the missing theoretical justification for operative political safeguards while preserving a role for limited judicial review. It concludes by evaluating examples against these interpretive criteria and offering recommendations for engineering greater structural support for federalism values in bilateral governance.Less

“Rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens”: Does Democracy Count?

Amit M. Schejter

in Beyond Broadband Access: Developing Data-Based Information Policy Strategies

This chapter denounces the hypercommercialization of the information network and its control by private interests using the marketplace metaphor. It argues that government policy should adopt a ... More

This chapter denounces the hypercommercialization of the information network and its control by private interests using the marketplace metaphor. It argues that government policy should adopt a justice-based metaphor instead, and focus on quantifying the amount of democratic opportunity created, after reaching consensus on the definition of democratic participation. The chapter begins with an overview of broadband Internet within the context of democracy and its importance in the promotion of social and democratic goals before offering an alternative theoretical framework for evaluating the “success” of broadband policy and creating a measure for “democratic capacity.” It then introduces a vision of broadband as an essential facilitator of democratic discourse and considers some recent attempts made by governments to rethink “development” in non-economic terms. Finally, it discusses the non-economic goals set by the National Broadband Plan in comparison with its quantifiable goals.Less

“My Trust Needs To Be Earned, Or I Don’t Give It”: Youths’ Mental Models of Trust

Margaret Rundle, Carrie James, Katie Davis, Jennifer O. Ryan, John M. Francis, and Howard Gardner

in Restoring Trust in Organizations and Leaders: Enduring Challenges and Emerging Answers

This chapter explores the “mental models” of trust that youth utilize in assessing the trustworthiness of others and the implications of such mental models for the future of democratic life. Findings ... More

This chapter explores the “mental models” of trust that youth utilize in assessing the trustworthiness of others and the implications of such mental models for the future of democratic life. Findings from in depth, semi structured interviews suggest that many youth rely predominately on an earned-through-performance model of trust when assessing the trustworthiness of others. However, a substantial number of youth favor models based on interactions evidence – particularly earned-through-interactions or evolves-through-interactions models – when assessing the trustworthiness of distant figures such as politicians and others in public life, where such interactions are improbable. The use of interactions evidence to assess trustworthiness is related to a passive withholding trust stance which has troubling implications for youth democratic participation; by disengaging from trustworthiness assessments of political figures, youth may be unmotivated to engage in related civic and political spheres.Less

Sovereignty and Personality: A Process of Inclusion

Janneke Nijman

in State, Sovereignty, and International Governance

This chapter deals with the concept of international legal personality (ILP) within the context of the overall theme of this book, the (changing) perception of state sovereignty in modern ... More

This chapter deals with the concept of international legal personality (ILP) within the context of the overall theme of this book, the (changing) perception of state sovereignty in modern international law. It argues that if we proceed along the historic line of evolution, and continue to rethink sovereignty as well as the structure of international law, in particular with regard to increasing the legitimacy of international law, rethinking cautiously the concept of ILP is an appropriate line of action. It concludes that the concept of ILP is the conceptual missing link between international law and democratic participation.Less

Among everyday makers and expert citizens

Henrik Bang

in Remaking governance: Peoples, politics and the public sphere

This chapter illuminates the importance of studying informal, as well as state-sponsored, forms of democratic participation. It addresses the problems of individuation and the decoupling of states ... More

This chapter illuminates the importance of studying informal, as well as state-sponsored, forms of democratic participation. It addresses the problems of individuation and the decoupling of states from citizens. It argues that governance strategies designed to enhance social capital have resulted in a growing division between what he terms ‘expert citizens’ and ‘everyday makers’.Less

Democratic Federalism: The Safeguards

Robert P. Inman and Daniel L. Rubinfeld

in Democratic Federalism: The Economics, Politics, and Law of Federal Governance

This chapter addresses the two weaknesses of Democratic Federalism. First, how can we guarantee all minorities are represented in the legislature? Second, how can we control the national ... More

This chapter addresses the two weaknesses of Democratic Federalism. First, how can we guarantee all minorities are represented in the legislature? Second, how can we control the national legislature's inclination to usurp all important dimensions of public policy? The chapter evaluates the contributions of three new national institutions: first, an upper chamber called the Senate, elected not from local districts but from geographically larger provinces or states; second, a nationally elected president with agenda and veto powers over legislative decisions; and third, an independent national court to interpret the ground rules for federal governance and, in particular, what constitutes meaningful local assignment and full representation of all citizens. In addition to these three constitutionally created institutions, it also considers the ability of national political parties, if they were to arise, to foster minority representation and to control an overreaching national legislature. Each of these four safeguards contributes positively to the performance of Democratic Federalism, but only if a majority of all citizens understands and support the ongoing contribution of these institutions to the goals of economic efficiency, democratic participation, and protection of rights.Less

Obstacles, Prospects, Hope

Roger S. Gottlieb

in A Greener Faith: Religious Environmentalism and Our Planet's Future

Chapter 8 focuses on the functions of religious environmentalism in the larger context. The chapter discusses the threats to environmentalists commitments and coming to grips with these forces: ... More

Chapter 8 focuses on the functions of religious environmentalism in the larger context. The chapter discusses the threats to environmentalists commitments and coming to grips with these forces: consumerism, fundamentalism, and globalization, which are dominant forces in the world's culture, politics, and economics. Here in this chapter, emphasis is given on a greater role of religious environmentalism in the broad tradition of progressive political movements, those that have historically fought for an expanded sense of democratic participation (for racial minorities, women, or colonized peoples), an enlarged arena of public concern (social welfare programs, public health), and limits on the undemocratic powers of either corporations or the state.Less

Participation of Interest Groups at Local Level: Any Space for Democracy in Inter-Municipal Cooperation?

Jurga Bučaitė-Vilkė

in Local Government in Europe: New Perspectives and Democratic Challenges

The chapter analyzes the democratic legitimacy in emerging inter-municipal cooperative (IMC) initiatives in Lithuania. Reflecting the wider discussion on the territorial reforms, the main question is ... More

The chapter analyzes the democratic legitimacy in emerging inter-municipal cooperative (IMC) initiatives in Lithuania. Reflecting the wider discussion on the territorial reforms, the main question is whether IMC arrangements contribute to issues of democratic representation and legitimacy, and what is the role of local actors and institutions in cooperative networking. For empirical evidence the author uses quantitative IMC survey data. The survey was designed to study the preconditions, motives, forms, and impact of inter-municipal cooperation in Lithuania. The analysis reveals the variety of relationships and power networks between different interest groups in IMC processes such as local authorities, communities, and business stakeholders. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the importance of discussing ‘democratic deficit’ problem in municipal cooperative arrangements in the countries with a highly consolidated self-governance systems.Less

Reinvigorating Democracy in the European Union: Lessons from Ireland’s Citizens’ Assembly?

Gráinne de Búrca

in Constitutionalism under Stress

This chapter begins with a brief summary of two sets of democratic challenge facing Europe—the original ‘democratic deficit’ of the EU and the more recent growth of populist illiberalism—which have ... More

This chapter begins with a brief summary of two sets of democratic challenge facing Europe—the original ‘democratic deficit’ of the EU and the more recent growth of populist illiberalism—which have in common the erosion of trust in conventional political institutions and processes. It considers these democratic challenges alongside another contemporary phenomenon, namely the growth of interest in alternative forms of citizen participation, whether deliberative, popular, digital, or other, in various parts of the world. The chapter moves on to examine in more detail a recent experiment with deliberative citizen participation in one EU Member State, namely Ireland’s use of citizens’ assemblies to introduce constitutional and public policy change, and asks whether Ireland’s experience could offer any possible lessons to address some aspects of the EU’s democratic ills.Less

Active Citizenship and Sharing Power in Scotland: the Need to Go Beyond Devolution

Kevin Francis

in Active Citizenship: What Could it Achieve and How?

Drawing on the perspective of democratic theory, this chapter argues that the prospect of Scottish independence provides a realistic opportunity for radical political innovation. It insists that the ... More

Drawing on the perspective of democratic theory, this chapter argues that the prospect of Scottish independence provides a realistic opportunity for radical political innovation. It insists that the hoped-for levels of civic engagement, delivering the fourth principle of power sharing with the people, have not been achieved in Scotland. It also pursues the ideas of popular sovereignty and democratic participation found in the writings of John Stuart Mill and developed by modern theorists of deliberative democracy. The chapter proposes a form of direct political decision-making by citizens akin to that derived from classical Athenian democracy. It also suggests various ways in which bills, after parliamentary deliberation and vote, might be put to randomly selected juries of 10,000 or 20,000 for ‘popular assent’ or rejection. The central idea is that when citizens act as jurors they are trusted to exercise real power on behalf of their fellow citizens; arguably they act above and beyond sectional, party or local interests. In this role, civic duty carries a collective responsibility which transcends partiality and particular identity.Less

A Trade-Off Between Safety and Democracy?: An Empirical Investigation of Prison Violence and Inmate Self-Governance

Amy E. Lerman and Vesla Mae Weaver

in Democratic Theory and Mass Incarceration

The internal management and culture of prison institutions has been too long neglected as a topic of serious inquiry. This chapter examines the judicial idea of a trade-off between safety and ... More

The internal management and culture of prison institutions has been too long neglected as a topic of serious inquiry. This chapter examines the judicial idea of a trade-off between safety and democracy in the modern American prison by examining inmate advisory councils in the state of California (called IACs, or inmate advisory councils). The first task is empirical. Using data from three sources, little evidence is found that more active inmate advisory councils are associated with a greater prevalence of violence. Rather, there is a significant and negative association between participation in inmate self-governance and the incidence of violence. The chapter also begins the work of theorizing the democratic deficits of prisons today and suggests to scholars of the carceral state that procedural justice and legitimacy are as important within the prison environment as they are in the venues in which they have been traditionally assessed.Less