Gregory Feldman, Assistant Professor of International Migration, University of British Columbia
Democracy's mighty ideals are contrasted with the gross economical imbalance in the world. Policymakers are identified as key players, able to reproduce or change this societal order. The article tries to deconstruct the ideological work preventing policymakers from acting upon the discrepancies between the anaesthetized image of the system and its real effects. Feldman underscores the importance of a dialogue between social pundits and policymakers.
Samuel Kobia, General Secretary, World Council of Churches
From a Christian perspective, the quest for political excellence is described as a moral imperative, as the concept is attached to the ethical foundations of politics: peace, justice and prosperity for the people. Participation of civil society in politics and of politicians in society is highlighted as crucial.
According to Louis Klein, we live in a fairly developed democracy. Is this the end of history or is it a challenge to proceed and improve from here on? Developed democracies do not have their own improvement on the agenda. He recommends starting with the little things. Doing so, we would continuously improve what we have accomplished so as to achieve outcomes we cannot think of at the moment.
Henrik Bang, Professor of International Relations, University of Copenhagen
Henrik Bang explores the question what it takes to connect democracy and good governance from local to global level. Democracy on the input side is about consensual decision-making, while good governance on the output side is about political action. In many cases, both are mistakenly mixed. He elaborates his argument by using the EU as an example. The EU has a democratic deficit on the input side, but earned capacities for good governance on the output side.
Hermann Scheer, Member of the German Bundestag, Right Livelihood Award laureate
Facing problems like the declining membership of parties and less and less turnout, Hermann Scheer calls for decisive and broad reforms of democracy. Referring to Roosevelt's New Deal, he states that development of the political system is possible and necessary in order to avoid further alienation between the public and their representatives. His remedy for the German case includes the use of referenda on the federal level and the mandatory approval of new ministers by the parliament.
Dr. John Hulsman, Alfred von Oppenheim Scholar in Residence at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin.
Dr. John Hulsman is an Alfred von Oppenheim Scholar in Residence at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin. In his interview, Hulsman deconstructs democracy, party politics, and the political systems of Germany and the United States. For Hulsman, democracy is about changing people’s opinions – something top-ranking politicians in Germany don’t have the heart to do, as he had to find out in his uncounted off-the-record conversations with them.
