Introduction to the Handbook of Democratic Innovation and Governance: the field of democratic innovation

Abstract

Welcome to this Handbook! You have in your hands the work of 60 authors brought together to offer a comprehensive overview of the field of democratic innovation across the globe. This introductory chapter places the Handbook in context, reflects on what the field has to offer, and outlines the key themes explored in six sections featuring 38 chapters. We live in a time where the ideal of democracy is widely loved, but its practices are broadly criticised. Studies often highlight democratic deficits and the proliferation of a democratic malaise, while there is a growing debate about whether we are entering a period of global democratic recession (Diamond, 2015; Levitsky and Way, 2015). In the last decade there has been a reduction in the number of democratic systems, and established democracies are under increasing pressure due to social, political, environmental and economic factors (Wike and Fetterolf, 2018). Moreover, the gap between the 'politically rich' and the 'politically poor' is widening in societies across the world (Dalton, 2017). A sobering overview was provided by the 2016 Democracy Index, where the global average score fell, with 72 countries dropping in the ranking from 2015, and just 38 moving up (The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2016: 3-6). The number of 'full democracies' dropped from 20 to 19, with the US now classed as 'flawed'. Near half the world's population (49.3%) live currently in a democracy of some kind, but only 4.5% of people live in a 'full democracy'half as many than in 2015 (ibid). The 2018 Democracy Index, in turn, indicates that growing disillusionment with democratic institutions is accompanied by growing political participation as people are 'turning anger into action' (The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2018: 4). Recent waves of the World Values Survey suggest increased frustration and authoritarian attitudes, with striking rises amongst the youngest populations of democratic systems around the world (Foa and Mounk, 2016). Although democratic principles still enjoy support, current practices and institutions evoke cynicism: people love democracy, but often despair at how it is practiced. In this context, the field of democratic innovation is growing, in part, to counter the democratic recession. This has interesting parallels with debates that emerged a century ago during arguably the first contemporary wave of democratic innovation. Although debates about participatory democracy, more broadly, can be traced back to Athenian democracy, the narratives about innovation that occupy this Handbook were shaped in the past century 1 (Escobar, 2017b). For example, John Dewey was a strong critic of the 'democratic elitism' that underpins mainstream narratives of representative democracy (Bernstein, 2010: 74). Dewey saw elitism as central to the demise of democracy and the advance of elite-driven populism and totalitarian regimes.

Exploring the Emergence of Innovative Multi-Actor Collaborations toward a Progressive Urban Regime in Madrid (2015–2019)

“…A parallel debate on governance innovation is on-going in the field of public administration among others [56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64]. It considers emerging public governance paradigms and emanates from a broader discussion on how new "participatory imaginaries of democracy" can challenge current democratic recession [3]. In the following paragraphs, we explore debates and concepts related to democratic and governance innovation that help us complement the bottom-linked governance concept used in SI theory.…”

“…For the last decade, urban actors have been struggling to adapt to a post-crisis and austerity context through increasing social mobilization and experimentation, calling for an urban democracy renewal and challenging established neoliberal urban regimes and governance systems [1][2][3]. At the same time, social innovation (SI) has kept raising interest in contemporary socio-political and academic debates about the quest for an alternative sustainable development paradigm to tackle the present and future sociopolitical, ecological, and economic challenges of modern societies [4].…”

Understanding less-educated citizens’ (non-)participation in citizens’ initiatives: Feelings of entitlement and a taste for politics

“…In their shift from government to governance in recent decades, governments across the globe have experimented with increasing citizens’ opportunities for participation, deliberation and influence. In doing so, they aim to actively engage citizens in policy decision-making and implementation, for example through participatory budgeting, mini publics and referenda (Elstub and Escobar, 2019). Consequently, a new phase in the relationship between citizens and governments is signalled in West European democracies.…”

Crime Victimization, Trust and Performance Evaluation of Donald Trump: Exploring Gender and Race Determinants

“…Current challenges to democracy worldwide include low levels of electoral participation, slim trust in political parties, decaying accountability and transparency, and, most concerning to this article, declining trust in politicians and governance (Stoker and Evans 2019; Wike and Fetterolf 2018). Aspects of the current “democratic malaise” (Escobar and Elstub 2019) have eroded social capital in institutions that deal with social issues, especially the criminal justice system, making those affected by it lose confidence in the authorities.…”