Political Literacy – Concept and its Relevance for the Explanation of the Persistence of Liberal Democracies

Many citizens perceive political events in liberal democracies as confusing and difficult to understand. They have problems to organize and comprehend the complex and complicated political world surrounding them. At the same time, citizens find themselves in a powerful position in a democracy. By definition, they should have the opportunity to participate directly or indirectly in making generally binding decisions. Thus, they have a significant influence on the political decisions that they themselves submit. The exercise of state power depends on their will and action – or, as Fraenkel emphasizes: Democracy is ‘the rule of popular grace’. However, direct or indirect participation in political decisions is very presupposing to the citizens since Democracy puts high requirements on them. The citizens should not only be equally entitled but also capable of influencing political decisions. ‘People’s grace’ is thus affected by people’s abilities. So far, however, research has focused less on what civic abilities are necessary for a functioning and persistent democracy. A theoretical contribution will address the question of why a liberal democracy needs ‘democracy-capable’ citizens. If democracy puts high demands on its rulers, what citizens does a democracy actually need then? It is argued that a liberal democracy relies on citizens who can be called ‘political literate’. They can only fulfill their role and meet the requirements of democracy if they are characterized by a ‘political literacy’. This includes democracy-compatible and democracy-promoting skills. If such skills are not deeply rooted in society, the functionality and survival of a democracy is at stake. How the ‘political literacy’ concept can be specified is outlined in an exploratory attempt.