Recentering Democracy around Citizens

McCormick Foundation

Deliberative Democracy Consortium

Cantigny Conference Center

Wheaton, Illinois

February 16-18, 2010

In other words, he thinks he’s Stephen Colbert

In other words, he thinks he’s Stephen Colbert

Rachael Ray

• What is recentering?

• What is democracy?

• What are citizens?

Recentering Democracy around Citizens

…which brings us to tonight’s word

Democracy = Governance + Community?

Democracy = Just, Equitable, Deliberative

Governance +

Inclusive, Intensive Community?

Democracy = Discovering, Deliberating,

Deciding +

Dining, Drinking, Dancing?

Quick, stop him before he has an alliteration overdose

“Engagement” and “Involvement”

• Often used interchangeably – along with many other terms

• Definitions always fuzzy

• Knight/Soul of the Community definition somewhat broader

I will use “involvement” to mean:

• Large, diverse critical mass of people (or sometimes a representative sample)

• Size (of group) matters• Process matters – facilitation, guides, personal

experience, range of views• Different levels of action: volunteerism, small-

group change, organizational change, policy change

Two contexts for involvement

• Temporary efforts (the benefits are enjoyed by a large number of people but for a short period of time)

• Permanent structures (the benefits are enjoyed for a longer period of time but by a smaller number of people)

Humor him – he only has control of this meeting for ten

more minutes

Reason #1:Because current practices of

involvement can “work” – but are usually not sustainable

(So recentered democracy = sustained involvement)

Why even try to “recenter” democracy?

“Works” = Matt continues to have a job

Reason #2:Because current practices of

involvement are inequitable (So recentered democracy = more

equitable involvement, with more equitable outcomes)

Why even try to “recenter” democracy?

Reason #3:

Because current practices of involvement can’t easily be ‘scaled up’ to state and federal issues

(So recentered democracy = national democracy)

Why even try to “recenter” democracy?

Reason #4:Because community attachment has

benefits – and ‘politics as usual’ may reduce attachment

(So recentered democracy = more proactive approach to community)

Why even try to “recenter” democracy?

Reason #5:

Because people want political legitimacy

(So recentered democracy = public happiness)

Why even try to “recenter” democracy?

“Public happiness” = How you felt after the third glass of wine

at the reception last night

Why talk about “recentering” now?

1. Changes in what citizens want and can do

2. Changes in technology

3. Increasing inadequacy (due to 1 and 2) of “politics as usual” – frustrations of leaders as well as citizens

Potential ingredients of robust, ‘recentered’ local democracy:

– Strong tradition of involvement in decision-making and problem-solving

– Legal, governmental structures, support, and legitimacy

– Thriving online community that is connected to geography

– Abundant social/cultural/political offerings