2019: Political Participation. Between Frustration and Commitment

The study on political participation was undertaken on behalf of Bildungsverein – Offene Gesellschaft. Political participation is defined as the core element of democracy; numerous international documents such as the Rio Declaration, the Aalborg Charter or the Aarhus Convention reinforce the need for the inclusion of the public in political decision-making processes for a sustainable development of the environment. In part, these notions have found their way to national laws and policy fields by this time. Without the involvement of the public in political decision-making processes, democracy lacks legitimacy and a driving force. Hence, the scope of political participation is often used as a benchmark for (the quality of) democracy and more political participation is considered the solution for the frequently stated democracy crisis. Simultaneously, social hierarchies reduce opportunities of participation in the political process. The question also arises, whether political participation – according to normative expectations – is per se always progressive, egalitarian and inclusive or whether it cannot also cause, in its part, exclusion.

The investigation delivers next to a definition of political participation also a description of the central problematic situation about the input legitimacy and connects this with quality of democracy. The extent of political integration was examined and, based on already existing literature and various research reports, described who can take part in which forms of political participation in Europe and who is excluded. Besides, parameters, which can foster or hinder the interest in participation processes, were introduced and factors of individual willingness to participate were brought together with effects of frustration and the phenomenon of disenchantment with politics. On the one hand, political participation is regarded as the answer to politics, in the sense of disenchantment with political parties; on the other hand, disenchantment with politics constitutes self-evidently an obstacle to participatory processes.

A core element of the study is the description of various models of political participation. As case studies, the following were selected: 1.) the already time-tested Austrian referendum and popular vote, 2.) the Irish referendum, a form of voting that is preceded by an extensive, heavily government-formalised deliberative procedure, 3.) the Citizens’ Councils in Vorarlberg, which exist since 2006 and have already developed solution ideas to numerous issues, as well as 4.) an in Germany tried and tested model of Liquid Democracy (usage of new digital communication tools), the "Enquete Commission on Internet and Digital Society" of the German Bundestag. Liquid Democracy (Nutzung neuer digitaler Kommunikationsmöglichkeiten für das politische Engagement), die “Enquetekommission Internet und Digitale Gesellschaft” des Deutschen Bundestags.