Unequal Political Engagement and the Possible Risks to Democracy

Bibliographic Data

ID10830189
AuthorsChristine Hobden (0000-0002-2061-8727)
Year2018
Volume65
Issue156
Pages1-26
Publication date2018-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTHEORIA An International Journal for Theory History and Foundations of Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0495-4548 • E-ISSN: 2171-679X
PublisherBerghahn Books (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.3167/th.2018.6515601
OpenAlexW2897794963
LanguageEN
Citations received2

Citizens increasingly engage with political issues in new ways by addressing politicians via social media, campaigning at international forums, or boycotting corporate entities. These forms of engagement move beyond more regulated electoral politics and are rightly celebrated for the ways they increase representation and provide new channels of accountability. Yet, despite these virtues, political engagement beyond voting inevitably tends to entrench and amplify inequality in citizen influence on political decision-making. The tendency toward inequality undermines relational equality between citizens and muddies the channels of political accountability and responsibility. This article unpacks the ostensible tension and argues that it reveals to us another strength in views which hold the state to be citizens’ collective project and provides argumentative resources to motivate democracies to give due attention to ensuring that democratic participatory channels remain fit for purpose in an ever-changing society

Accountability · Argumentative · Citizen journalism · Deliberative democracy · Democracy · Inequality · Law and economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Representation (politics · Sociology · State (computer science · Voting · Law · Political Philosophy and Ethics · Public Administration

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