Toronto, October 1, 2002 Strengthening civil society in an effort to
deepen democracy is not enough, according to a new report for the Commonwealth
Foundation. From Venting to Inventing, a report for the Commonwealth Foundation's
Citizens and Governance Programme, argues for entrenching citizen involvement
in the decision-making processes of the state.
Written by Miriam Wyman, Canadian member of the Commonwealth Foundation's Citizens
and Governance Program Team, and David Shulman, Coordinator of the Democracy
Education Network, the report uses three case studies to highlight how strengthening
civil society and increasing citizen engagement does not necessarily lead to
deeper democratic practice.
The case studies examine efforts to establish direct democracy at the municipal
level in Rossland, British Columbia; the work of Web Networks, an internet-based
network for activists; and the 1992 United Nations Conference of Environment
and Development (UNCED) which redefined decision making among governments, civil
society organizations, and citizens. Through these case studies, the report
addresses the following questions:
· How are citizens organizing to strengthen their voices in political
decisions?
· How are citizens attempting to rebalance relationships of engagement
with their governments?
· How are citizens' efforts translating into better institutionalized
commitments to increased citizen involvement in governance?
"Citizens are doing almost everything possible to make their
concerns known and it's not enough. There has to be a formal requirement for
listening," notes Miriam Wyman.
Co-author David Shulman explains, "We need to do for public consultation
what we've done for elections. Instead of leaving it to governments to consult
the public on a voluntary basis, we need an entrenched process that obliges
governments to engage citizens on a systematic basis."
The report challenges the wisdom of focusing only on strengthening civil society
as a means to deepening democracy. Democracy can be weak even when citizens
are active. Liz Rykert from Meta Strategies, comments that "this report
fills an important void in terms of intent and actuality" with respect
to addressing the paradox of a strong civil society and a weak democracy. From
Venting to Inventing makes a case for mandatory public input in government policy
making so that the voices of 'ordinary' citizens can be heard.
Project results will be presented this week at the first National Conference
on Dialogue and Deliberation in Washington, D.C., and later this month at the
Montreal International Forum on Global Governance 2002 (G02).
The report is located at http://www.democracyeducation.net/Publications/publications.htm.
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For more information on the Commonwealth Foundation and its projects visit www.commonwealthfoundation.com.
Author Contact Information:
Miriam Wyman,
Practicum Limited
Commonwealth Foundation, Citizens and Governance Programme Team
Tel.: (416) 413-0347
E-mail: miriam.wyman@utoronto.ca
David Shulman
Democracy Education Network
www.democracyeducation.net
Tel: (416) 761-1552
E-mail: den@web.ca