Stealth Democracy? Comparing Conceptions of Democracy across Countries and Social Groups

Abstract

The book Stealth Democracy, published in 2002 by John Hibbing and Elisabeth Theiss-Morse, reached unexpected conclusions concerning the conceptions of politics of American citizens. They don’t want to participate more or to be involved in deliberations, but that political elites do their jobs and that representative government works efficiently. These results have led to considerable academic discussions (first in the US, see Neblo et al. 2010; then in Europe, see Bengtsson, Wass, 2009; West 2013). Criticisms have focused mainly on methodological dimensions; the way questions were framed influencing the results. Beyond these methodological elements - that will also be discussed in this panel - the goal here is to question these results by analyzing them through certain analytical lenses. More precisely, the Stealth Democracy hypothesis will be questioned in different national contexts based on a comparative European project. Do the French, Spanish or Italian citizens want and expect the same thing from democracy? Do the political or social context of these countries influence how citizens perceive politics and government? Does the recent economic crisis – and the answer provided by political elites - influence the way individuals understand democracy? The cross-national comparison will be facilitated by selecting papers using a same methodological framework. Beyond national differences, this panel will also explore the role of social classes and political orientations in citizens’ conceptions of democracy. The goal is therefore to offer a more robust sociological analysis of the question of individual democratic expectations, by disaggregating the notion of “citizen”. Have citizens the same conceptions of democracy if they are on the left or on the right of the political spectrum? Are the working and upper classes on the same page from this perspective? What is the impact of levels civic engagement on representations of democracy?

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