Political Science 1020E Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Deliberative Democracy, Neoliberalism, Individualism

• School: Western University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: Political Science 1020E
• Professor: Nigmendra Narain

Document Summary

Increasingly complex issues: badly informed populace, political skills required, especially given strengthening of executive power. Stoker: the political class also makes huge mistakes. Institutional reform can improve the quality of participation. In it, we realize ourselves, and cultivate virtues. Stoker: public-private line overdrawn, political participation unnatural, occasional, focused on issues of greatest concern, political activity involves mixed motives. Involves reasons and accountability: better decisions, and better decision makers. Stoker: u(cid:374)realisti(cid:272) e(cid:454)pe(cid:272)tatio(cid:374)s lead to stifli(cid:374)g rules for (cid:858)good(cid:859) parti(cid:272)ipatio(cid:374, ma(cid:374)(cid:455) issues (cid:271)etter resol(cid:448)ed (cid:449)ith (cid:858) weasel(cid:859) (cid:449)ords. Stoker: the (cid:373)arket (cid:272)a(cid:374)(cid:859)t pro(cid:448)ide e(cid:448)er(cid:455)thi(cid:374)g (cid:449)e (cid:449)a(cid:374)t, good collective decisions require effective political engagement. But increase their involvement with people: elections that avoid disproportionate attention to high-stakes areas, reforms that free representative from constraints of party, executive, transparency, social representatives. Reforms that remake citizens into partners in governance: direct democracy can set or change agenda, co-governance offers share in decision making, e-democracy can influence decision making.