The way the decision-making process works in today's democracy is outdated. More proximity to citizens is needed.
Guest article by Philipp Saueracker
Ursula von der Leyen presents the results of the "Conference on the Future of Europe"
A unique example: in 2022, a platform was set up for citizens to submit their opinions on the further development of Europe: the "Conference on the Future of Europe".
Image: ©EU 2022 - EP
The functioning of the decision-making process in our democracy today is outdated. The citizens elect politicians for a certain period to represent them and can only evaluate their work on election day by voting or not voting for the respective party in government.
But nowadays, suddenly changing (geo)political developments make it necessary to react fast and effectively. As politicians should act according to the will of the majority of the population, the dialogue between politicians and civil society has to be adapted to the possibilities of the 21st century.
Online surveys and hybrid conferences are potential instruments and are already partially in use by political parties during their campaigns. However, the potential of these digital tools needs to be maximally exploited for large-scale dialogue formats. This would also be a good way to involve citizens more in the public debate and take them and their opinions seriously.
Hence, instead of only an "evaluation" on election day, there should, for example, be a "half-term evaluation," or even more according to the necessity, to give citizens the possibility to evaluate the work of the government and suggest improvements.
For online surveys, the link/access might be shared on the website of the European Commission or the government at the respective political level and promoted in local/national news as well as on social media. Artificial intelligence and big data could be used to analyse the answers and derive conclusions for better policy-making/improvements for the way ahead. Politicians should be urged to take the input seriously and make transparent how they implement it. The results of the surveys and the follow-up actions should also be published on the government’s website. The news should report about it, also shared on social media.
The same would apply to the organisation of hybrid web conferences. Questions might be asked during the event in a chat, and people can like the questions. Those with the most likes shall be answered by the politicians. The social media team of the politicians might "control" the chat and prevent hate speech and other undesired content. Results and follow-ups shall be managed the same way as the surveys.
The introduction of this innovative form of citizen engagement and enhanced access to political information might enhance the transparency of the policy-making process, encouraging citizens to engage proactively and contribute constructively. This broader scope of policy making could foster greater societal cohesion at local, national, and European levels.
Editorial note: guest articles always reflect the opinion of the respective author and not that of the editorial team.
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