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The Challenge

Beyond the evident economic and environmental effects of the globalization processes, the flat world is modifying the roots of statehood and democratic institutions. It is so that some common features in contemporary democratic societies are:

Traditional institutions become increasingly destructured, fragmented and disaggregated;
Power is concentrating and increasingly acting in extraterritorial and extra institutional environments and clusters;
Not receiving responses to their quest for guidance and trustworthiness the citizens are turning unhappy, disengaged and individualist.

Europe is beset by a democratic malaise. This is epitomised by, but not limited to, a widespread decline in voter turnout and trust in government. This disengagement engenders four main risks:

Less faith in governments makes it harder for them to deal with the complex problems facing their populations.
Disappointment creates political opportunities for extremists.
The European Union project, crucial to solving many twentyfirst-century problems, is put at risk by a lack of legitimacy.
The threat is not imminent, so we don’t act and the problem gets worse.

The future of democracy is at stake! Greater human understanding is crucial to solve complex issues. Broader bottom-up participation in fundamental debates and re-creation of ideas is necessary like never before. Shaping the future requires extensive debate and re-conceptualization .

A number of key questions should be of broad concern:

Is the sovereignty-based democratic governance system still viable?
Is new governance emerging for societies and States?
How can broad constituencies be active and pro-active in the regimes making up the substance of life, locally, nationally and internationally?

Are societies worldwide moving beyond interdependence?
Is citizenship a status, ‘membership’, based on connection rather than separation, interaction rather than isolation, and institutions rather than free-space?
How can nation-states evolve in ways that keep up with changes in the private sector and that expand State power?

Should the new order be inclusive, respectful, tolerant and equal as possible?
Should it be a new order in which human hope and despair, crime and charity, ideas and ideals are transmitted through networks of people and organizations?
Is the best hope for a new order that the power of governments represents and regulates their people, harnessing that capacity and strengthening it?

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Democracy Ahead: resolve for Europe - DA:rE

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