How to rebuild our democracies

Across the globe, people are expressing dissent with our democratic institutions. Political extremes and more autocratic leadership are gaining favor. We live in a multi-polar, complex and rapidly changing world, which is put under pressure by inequality, climate change, migration and so on. I think people are feeling increasingly powerless. They feel their voices are not heard and their lives might not matter so much. I believe it is a need for security and order that leads them to political extremes, more autocratic leadership, nationalism and identity politics. These all promise simple solutions – sometimes just ignoring existing problems – and a way out of the political deadlock of the mainstream parties.

How can we make sure every vote really counts?

I do not think however this will solve the problem. In fact, it will probably make things worst. Political extremes promise ‘law and order’, but actually need chaos and confusion in order to thrive. They will hold their law and order in front of us as the proverbial carrot, while continuing to fuel the stick of inequality and divisiveness (and in some cases also climate change). This is a vicious cycle with no end.

So how can we help people regain a sense of control over their lives? How can we give them the feeling of security despite all the existing complexity and diversity? We cannot do more of the same. They say that “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” We need to evolve. We need to accept that our systems are broken and outdated and look for fundamental solutions. We need to reinvent our democracies.

Democracy is never finished. It needs to constantly evolve and become more inclusive. The first democracy, in Athens, only included free (adult) men, no women or slaves. The same groups were excluded at the beginning of our democracies in modern Western history. Yet still, our society could give much more ‘power to the people’, the literal meaning of the Greek word ‘demo-cracy’.We need to ask ourselves whether we were ever really that democratic.

Look at most of our schools and work places. They are basically hierarchical in nature. Teachers, principals and managers have most of the power. Isn’t it strange that we are so adamant about being able to choose our political leaders, but we can hardly choose who rules over us in
educational or professional settings? There are however ways to organize these as democracies, just look op democratic schools, self-directed education, worker cooperatives or sociocracy for example.

Look at the way we vote. Are ‘winner takes all’ and ‘first past the post’ systems that inclusive? In most of our systems the majority always wins, but what about the minority? Most of our decisions go through established political parties. But do those really represent all of our diverse voices? There are however other approaches such as ranked voting, deep democracy, consensus decision making and citizens’ assemblies to name but a few.

United we stand, divided we fall

How much do we really have to say over the factors that determine our environment? Every few years we get to cast a vote for the person that seems to give us the best promises – or to vote against those whom did not fulfill theirs – and that is where it often ends. In days of individualism, increasing social isolation and weakening community ties, we should encourage community involvement and participation, especially on local and small-scale levels. We have to focus less on our differences and more on mutual understanding and what makes us all human, and unite people, in spaces like neighborhoods, living communities and grassroots social organizations.

Only when we give people the feeling that they really have control over their lives, can we remedy despair and frustration and stop our democracies from crumbling. When we create rich and dynamic social networks with little hierarchy and high accessibility. This can rebuild our democracies, give power to the people and make sure that every vote counts.