Abstract
(Englisch)
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This project focuses on forms of deliberative democracy as they are elaborated 'from below' and implemented both in the internal organization of social movements and in experiments of participatory decision-making. In particular, the project analyses the issue of active democracy as it emerges in the theorization and practices of the movements that have recently mobilized on the issues of globalization, suggesting patterns of 'globalization from below'. Social movements criticize the fundamentals of the conventional practices of politics, and experiment with new models of democracy both in their internal structuring and in the way they interact with political institutions. The concept of democracy and its practice assume an even more central role for the 'global movement' which has mobilised transnationally demanding social justice and participatory democracy. Social movements, moreover, need to come to terms with the task of mobilising a heterogeneous base of different generations and social positions within themselves, while, externally, challenging multilevel governance. Internally, the search for new models of democracy is expressed in such experiments as local social forums, self-organized assemblies on the part of the citizenship, and transnational movement networks. Moreover, these organized movements are becoming increasingly involved in policy decision-making, especially at local level. The ensuing debate on deliberative democracy is particularly relevant both for the development of a civic society, and for the legitimization of political institutions. The research - focusing on six European countries and the EU level - will consist of an analysis of documents pertaining to both movements and public institutions, websites, semi-structured interviews with nongovernmental organizations and public administrators, surveys of movement activists, participant observation of movement groups and analyses of the experiences of participatory decision making.
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