Challenging radical democracy to go lower: How commoning practices and collaborative governance in the Gipuzkoa Region enact radical democracy on the micro- and meso-level
Summary
As liberal democracies are struggling with declining public trust and are failing to create adequate solutions to the climate crisis, one alternative is radical democracy that seeks to radicalise the democratic values of pluralism, equality and liberty throughout existing institutions and domains of nations and economies. Yet, the theory of radical democracy has failed to develop practical implications to radicalise democracy. This research has tested if commoning practices enact radical democracy on the micro-level and if collaborative governance enacts radical democracy on the meso-level. A case study of the Gipuzkoa Region, which has a rich history of community practices and has implemented an innovative collaborative governance initiative is used to test the applicability of the theories as supplements for the theory of radical democracy.
The research has found that commoning practices in Gipuzkoa enact radical democracy on the micro-level through lived alternative democratic relationships that constitute alternatives to market and state-driven systems based on horizontal decision-making and non-economic values based on mutual association and an emphasis of the Basque Language. Further, the collaborative governance in Gipuzkoa enact radical democracy through institutions and democratic practices that allow for more pluralism through participation and horizontal mechanisms, even if still coordinated by a vertical authority of the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council. However, the institutionalisation of collaborative governance in Gipuzkoa, has so far not been able to activate a larger number of citizens which could then allow commoning practices to supplement broader democratic struggles through the formalisation of these activities across larger political organisations.
This research contributes to the theory of radical democracy by confirming the enactment of it on the micro-level through commoning practices and by connecting the concept of collaborative governance as possibility to enact radical democracy on the meso-level. Further, the research emphasises the possible connection of commoning practices to collaborative governance to include community values in governance.
This research illustrates how alternative democratic approaches to liberal democracies at the micro- and meso-levels are already being used or can be introduced to create solutions with stakeholders to address challenges and increase trust between citizens and public institutions in the process. Even though the provided techniques and institutions should not be viewed as panaceas, they demonstrate that complex difficulties are solved not by simplistic solutions, but by rethinking complexity as a benefit for involving various stakeholders.
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