Problem
Declining significance of electoral politics
Other Names:
Post-electoral democracyMedia-controlled democracy
Lobby-controlled democracy
Background:
The marriage between representation and democracy is a product of the 18th century, when the amalgamation of the old Greek ideal of assembly-based democracy – a model which “was direct and participatory to an astonishing degree” – and that of representation seemed the best possible solution for governing large nation-states in both America and Europe. A large suffrage means that democracy can only be enabled by ‘representation’. This particular system of democratic government, however, is far from perfect. Too often, as in the recent past, especially in countries like the US, where lobby groups and money play a fundamental and rather distorting role in politics, the representatives seem to represent not the voters, the people who cast the ballots to elect them, but the interests of the few who bankroll their campaign.
Broader Problems:
Undemocratic political organization Narrower Problems:
Electoral apathyVulnerability of government to lobbying Related Problems:
Entrenched politicians Aggravates:
Anarchism Subject(s):
Communication → Media??Government → Politics??
Metapolitics → Political theories??
Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
Problem Type:
F: Fuzzy exceptional problems Date of last update
27.06.2019 – 12:48 CEST