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The postwar model of representative democracy is in crisis. Voter abstention is on the rise, democratic legitimacy in decline. The number of liberal democracies around the world is steadily dwindling.
Widespread disillusionment with representative politics is excluding many from the democratic process. Parliaments’ legislative functions have been curtailed or minimised; their reputation – and citizens' trust in them – greatly reduced.
What’s more, the spaces in which ordinary citizens can engage with political institutions are disappearing, allowing disruptive actors – notably billionaire tycoons and tech barons – to step in and fill the void. How can we turn the tide?
A new Loop series curated by the University of Siena's Luca Verzichelli hopes to answer this urgent question. Luca leads the thriving REDIRECT Project which, through a multidiscipinary research agenda, aims to address the so-called 'representative disconnect' in our current age of globalisation and digital revolution.
Contributors will set out innovative solutions that aim to reconnect actors, strengthen institutions, and adapt democracy to the challenges of the twenty-first century.
The series will suggest ways to encourage greater representation of younger generations in politics, reduce the gap between elites and citizens, improve governability, and make deliberative procesees more effective.
The series recognises that democratic disconnect is a multidimensional phenomenon. Luca and the REDIRECT team therefore welcome articles that examine what is driving democratic disconnect, and seek pieces exploring strategies to reconnect public opinion, parties, intermediaries, policymakers, leaders, citizens, and associations with political institutions.
The series hopes to attract contributions from scholars working in related disciplines, along with experts involved in decision-making processes at national and supranational levels.
Academic contributors already confirmed include Dario Castiglione, Émilie Frenkiel, John Erik Fossum, Zsófia Papp, Eline Severs, Alfio Mastropaolo, Petra Meier, Catherine Moury, Michel Saward, and Mark Warren.
The accessible, shorter format of a blog piece, with its swift turnaround time, can get your research noticed beyond the academy. It’s also a great way to drive readers to the academic research from which your blog piece derives, driving up formal citations.
If you research in this field, the🎈 team would love to hear from you! Pitch your proposal via The Loop’s online portal – select ‘Representative Disconnect’ from the drop-down menu.
Keywords: Democracy, Governance