DEMOCRATIC CULTURAL POLICY: WHICH
DEMOCRACY? WHICH CULTURE? WHICH POLICY?
Clive Gray
De Montfort University
DEFINING TERMS
• Democracy: mechanisms for participating in
making collective decisions
• Culture: what governments define it as being
or make policies on
• Policy: choices about courses of action
DEMOCRATIC FORMS
• Direct democracy through voting (referenda)
• Representative democracy through elected
representatives (assemblies/executives)
• Democratic elitism through stakeholders
(arm’s-length/technocrats)
• Deliberative democracy through value
clarification (discursive practices)
ASSESSING FORMS
• Direct/indirect involvement of citizens
• Role of policy experts
(technocrats/mediators/facilitators)
• Role of elected representatives
• Information access/quality
DIRECT DEMOCRACY
• Open vote on a given subject
• Inclusive of all
• Ignorance? Incompetence? Money talks?
Other issues decide?
• ‘Not proven’
• Limited evidence
• Trust the people?
REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY
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Assembly/executive relations
Less inclusive of all: one step removed
Knowledge/expertise/continuity?
Whose interests are served?/cui bono?
Electoral legitimacy
Democratic sub-optimality
‘High’/’low’ politics
DEMOCRATIC ELITISM
• Public choice between competing groups
• Insulation of power-holders from direct
control
• Technical/professional/non-party
political/authoritative?
• Coherent/focused/accountable?
• Technically ‘better’ policies?
DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY
• Based on informed, reflective opinion: ‘talkcentric’
• Active/open engagement of groups/citizens
• ‘Better’ policy? Expense?
• Symbolic rather than effective engagement?
• Who manages the system? How is it
managed? Democratic elitism by another
name?
CONSEQUENCES
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Direct/indirect citizen involvement
Role of policy experts
Role of elected representatives
Information access/quality