https://www.ids.ac.uk/news/democracy-is-a-practice-and-we-need-better-wa...
Against the backdrop of democratic decline globally, IDS and Westminster Foundation for Democracy co-hosted the discussion with a range of contributors, including Brazil’s Ambassador to the UK, representatives from the FCDO, UK parliament, thinktanks, academia, activists and practitioners, to identify positive action that can be taken.
Key themes included the acts of democracy beyond elections and ways to better engage citizens with them, plus the need to strengthen democracy in international institutions and the mutual learning required to combat rising authoritarianism.
Democracy is more than elections
The new IDS report ‘Where’s the demos in democracy?’ shares eight building blocks for strengthening democracy through civic engagement and the theme of ways that people can and do practise democracy – and the fact that democracy is far more than elections – stood out strongly.
Elina Mossadegh Rashti, an Iranian-British human rights practitioner, highlighted that people in Iran have been fighting for democracy throughout history, imagining and practising democracy, often at great personal risk. For example, women in Iran exercise an act of democracy by not wearing the hijab when they go out. In this way, the fight for democracy does not fade away, it shifts and adapts – and people come up with news ways to show solidarity and participation.
Danny Sriskandarajah, CEO of the New Economics Foundation, emphasised the need to think less about democracy as voting and institutions, and more about democracy and participation and the role that power plays. We need to focus on “changing the nature of power rather than changing the people in power,” he said.
Discover more of IDS’ work on democracy
Challenges facing global North and South equally
The Brazil Ambassador to the UK, Ambassador Patriota noted that V-Dem ranked Brazil ahead of the UK in its latest report. This shows, he said, that when it comes to addressing democratic decline, countries need to work together against this common challenge. Moreover, he said, lessons in democracy should not just flow from North to South: “learning must flow in both directions: revitalising democracy is a common challenge and we must share ideas for how to strengthen it as equals.”
Panellists also highlighted examples for this potential shared learning, such as lessons that countries and civil society can learn from the internet shutdowns and online monitoring experienced in Iran or how to organise work life to be more democratic through cooperatives or mutuals.
Strengthening democracy at the international level
Multiple speakers raised the need to address the democratic deficit within the international system, alongside strengthening democracy at national and local levels. Danny Sriskandarajah said that we currently have a double democratic deficit – at national level but also in an international system with no transparency and accountability. To be effective and sustainable, global institutions need to be far more participatory.
As part of addressing this democratic deficit, it was noted that international law must be upheld and applied to all equally. Ambassador Patriota said that we need an international system where no one is above the law and where decision-taking mechanisms are representative of international society. He also advocated for a more democratic UN, including African and Latin American permanent membership of the UN Security Council.
Improving democratic institutions
The second panel focused on how to improve democratic institutions and how they engage with citizens. Cecillia Makonyola, Head of Inclusion Practice at Westminster Foundation for Democracy, said that institutions are made up of people with passions, ideas, values and ideologies but that institutions have set ways of operating and overtime shift how people act within them – moving them away from their original intentions. For example, a woman leader supported into office by feminist organisations arrives ready to enact feminist reform, but finds the institution limits her and expects her to enact a certain form of politics. She argued that to solve this, we need to flatten boundaries and hierarchies inside institutions to bridge the divide between them and citizens.
From a local level, Anusree Biswas, Director of Bridging Change, shared the importance of moving from representation to participation to improve democratic institutions. In Brighton, for example, Bridging Change are gathering community input and putting communities in touch with the local council. She highlighted the interconnected ecosystems and symbiotic relationships between neighbourhoods and the importance of translating what communities are thinking into reform, learning and reflection.
The FCDO’s Stefan Kossoff shared that the FCDO has moved on from ‘institution building’ and that although institutions matter, the greater need is to work on accountability, responsiveness and participation. Stefan said that donor assistance can matter but not always and rarely in a decisive way. And that although many of the recent uprisings, such as in Nepal, were barely touched by external actors, external support when targeted and grounded in local realities, can make a difference
Future outlook
Overall, the experts called for continued sharing of constructive ways to revive, renew, refresh democracy globally. One attendee reminded us all that democracy needs to be practised at global, national and local levels to be effective. They shared that a recent election to vote a President of the tea lady society (women who sell tea) in Sudan had taken place despite the ongoing conflict – demonstrating that even at the very local level, and in challenging contexts, democracy can be practised.
