The following article is part of the SFG publication “Big Questions of Our time: The World Speaks”. To access the full publication please click here.
Combinations between equity (resources), access (participation), and efficiency (performance) have thus far determined democratic governance in its variations – predominantly at the national level.
Contemporary forms of deterritorialization tend to disrupt two fundamental conceptions of the modern understanding of democratic politics: the fellowship of citizens and the fiduciary nature of the relationship between political power and those represented.
Middle classes, mostly national-based, became a pillar of democracy; shrinking middle classes against a background of growing gaps in resources exacerbate the challenge. The shifting of attitudes (and emotions) involves larger spaces and ever more distant templates and has become a vital component of today’s political relating.
Increased global initiatives for the growth of a sociotechnical infrastructure that will enhance open interaction coupled with the development of norms of global responsibility will soon become a sine qua non for the continuation of the journey of democracy.