Verso una scomposizione della democrazia rappresentativa? : Fra spinte tecnocratiche e pratiche di partecipazione diretta e digitale

Abstract

In recent decades long-standing representative democracies seem to be
facing a legitimacy crisis. There are essentially two possible diametrically
opposite yet inextricably linked reactions to this: adapt institutions to a
minor participation or stimulate greater participation. In the first case
(e.g. European commission, central banks) we tend to see a technocratic
drive, while the second would see a development in direct and digital
participation (public policies and participatory budgets, online petitions,
platforms for collaborative politics etc.), especially at a local level. Therefore
the two components that characterised traditional representative
democracy – on the one hand the democracy of the elites, competence,
the ruling classes, on the other hand the democracy of the people, participation,
mobilisation – are no longer fully integrated in representative
democracy as they used to be, but rather juxtapose one another as they
move, for example, towards non-majority institutions or the participative
experiences of civil society. Representative democracy tends to break up
when it is subject to centrifugal forces.