This post is written by Naouma Kourti, scientific officer at the European Commission. The views expressed are those of the writer and do not reflect necessarily the organisation in which she works.

  • The problem: The democratic system is being questioned.

  • Why it matters: The democratic system underpins our economy.

  • The solution: We need to reinforce the debate and the governance by plurality and inclusion, protect the emergent from power struggles and create institutions suitable for the digital age.

We live in a time when the democratic system that has accompanied and sustained the enormous advancement of western societies during the last centuries is being questioned. Some commentators say it is not fit for the problems the world faces today; others say that it is outdated; for some others again the current situation boils down to the same old politics. Still, others claim that democratic institutions are inflexible to cope efficiently with the many crises of the last decades, whether financial, terrorism, migration, or the pandemic.

"They call their countries democratic to reap the benefits of international trade and other agreements but in reality, they turn out to be “elected” dictatorships."

Critics of the democratic system are aggravated by the politics and the propaganda of the world’s many autocratic countries. It is in their advantage to present their authoritarian way as the answer to the problems, leading to mistrust. This mistrust led to the resurgence of populism all over the world, which even became mainstream politics in many countries. Before the pandemic broke out, it was already becoming clear that populist leaders intended to roll back important freedoms (such as those of journalists and judges), at times even going so far as to adapt the constitutions to their designs. However, the inadequacy of populists, who do not trust science and thus are incapable of saving lives, was harshly revealed by the pandemic. It has seriously diminished their attractiveness to the populace.

"Freedom and respect are values that sustain the pillars of pluralism and debate on which democracies are founded."

What needs to be done

Populism thrives on a perception of democracy as a mere voting system and the democratic process as a competitive process with only one winner. Autocrats use the voting system to claim internationally they have been elected democratically. Once elected, they manipulate public opinion, contain or even eliminate opposition and suppress free speech. They call their countries democratic to reap the benefits of international trade and other agreements but in reality, they turn out to be “elected” dictatorships.

In reality, voting is only a small fraction of the democratic process. The main and most important part is the debate originating from a pluralism of opinions, which leads to the co-creation of better policies. These opinions can only exist if the essential freedoms of people are guaranteed. Freedom and respect are values that sustain the pillars of pluralism and debate on which democracies are founded.

The true value of democracy is thus at once more subtle and deeper. It is about allowing the political system to adapt to changing conditions and fostering the emergence of new movements and orders to face crises and introduce innovation.

Building better societies

Societies are living systems and as such complex. Complex systems cannot be controlled but they can be influenced. Moreover, living systems decide for themselves what to be influenced by and to what extent. Thus, in the last decade we witnessed the rise and fall of populism. And at the same time, we saw how in different countries more and new coalitions arose. Many democratic countries are not governed by one party, but by coalitions of parties. Policies increasingly are created not by the internal mechanisms of one ideology but by the co-creation of many different schools of thought, sustained, in our Western democracies, by science in support of complex decisions. The latest example in this regard would be the “streetlight” coalition of Germany. Coalition and co-creation has been the bipartisan approach of the American policies over hundreds of years, but in the last few decades polarisation is of increased concern.

The need for democracy and co-creation of policies is much higher during crises such as those our societies are confronted with now, including climate change, a pandemic, depletion of natural resources, demographic changes, inequality and poverty. No party on its own can offer adequate and holistic solutions. Coalitions offer a way to craft widely accepted decisions in crisis times.

On the contrary, autocratic regimes during the years of pandemic turned to more authoritarianism and suppression; see the latest crackdowns of China’s millionaires, or the new wave of absolutism in Russia, repression in Belarus and most recently in Kazakhstan. Such regimes cannot afford to allow the emergence of a new order and therefore feel obliged to repress any movement of change.

Another criticism of the democratic system is related exactly to this pluralism of opinions. Critics claim that the system is too slow to decide due to endless discussions, whilst authoritarian systems can act quickly. The covid crisis has weakened also to this line of argument. The initial delay of democracies to react has, in the long run, been paid off with much better and more humane measures. People in democracies may complain about too much debate but knowledge and data is made available to them and is not hidden behind political red tape.

"Our democratic institutions need a rebirth in the digital era, so as to become again the main movers of the debate."

Rejuvenating Institutions

Some claim democratic institutions have become bureaucratic and inflexible, alienating themselves from the real needs of the people. Most democratic institutions were conceived and designed during the 20th century, long before the arrival of the digital environment and its tools. The working methodologies are enshrined in social contracts made in the past under completely different societal and technological conditions. Today a great deal of the debate is happening on social media, from which the institutions are either absent or where they are only marginally present.

Our democratic institutions need a rebirth in the digital era, so as to become again the main movers of the debate. The institutions cannot not be static; the policies they create cannot be one-dimensional. They have to be fluid and mutable to respond to the wicked problems of our times, whilst transforming the economy to create new opportunities. Policies have to be multi-dimensional to protect nature, empower human beings and spare future generations from the mistakes of the throwaway society.

The world has entered a turbulent new phase in which the democratic system is the only guarantee for a successful transition to a new bright era. No autocracy in this world can keep up with the many and complex challenges: what is at stake is not so much the decision-taking capacity but establishing a continuous co-creation process based on fact-checking, genuine pluralism, strong, inclusive debate, experimentation and failure. These processes make complex systems thrive and are only possible under the democratic system.

Democratic countries have to go the extra mile. They have to reform their institutions to adapt to the digital age, creating the conditions for and safeguard pluralism and debate, instead of focusing our attention on the four-yearly ritual of the election result and the winners. Because indeed, for us all, survival is more important than the trifle of who won the latest competition.

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