Representation and Participation

Representation and participation are the lifeblood of vibrant democracies and yet among Western democracies there has been much soul-searching about democratic deficits and crises of legitimation as voter turnout has become increasingly volatile over the past few decades. A veritable industry has grown up consisting of academics, political analysts, pollsters, media professionals, activists and politicians accepting the prevailing wisdom and proffering all manner of possible solutions to this seemingly intractable problem. Nothing less than the demise of democracy itself is forecast in a series of wonderfully titled books explaining why the West has become disengaged from the political process. Why

Americans Mistrust Government

(Nye

et al

., 1997),

The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad

(Zakaria, 2003), Why We

Hate Politics

(Hay, 2007) provide a small flavour of the genre. Gerry Stoker, in an antidote to gloom and despondency, warns of the dangers of cynicism and populism, urging active political participation in his

Why Politics Matter

(2006). Stephen Macedo and associates’ report to the Brookings Institution,

Democracy at Risk

, presents a stark picture:

American democracy is at risk. The risk comes not from some external threat but from disturbing internal trends: an erosion of the activities and capacities of citizenship. Americans have turned away from politics and the public sphere in large numbers, leaving our civic life impoverished. Citizens participate in public affairs less frequently, with less knowledge and enthusiasm, in fewer venues, and less equally than is healthy for a vibrant democratic polity. (Macedo

et al

., 2005: 1)