Institute of Development Studies
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Democracy: from Recession to Innovation
6 August 2009
There is a sense that democracy is in retreat worldwide. But the emergence of citizen-centred, development-oriented approaches suggests a more complex and hopeful shift is also taking place.
A worldwide, grassroots view suggests that democracy is being reinvented from below, bringing with it a rare opportunity for change in the way that the ‘stewards' of democracy provide democracy support. This was the conclusion of a recent article in Open Democracy by Nick Benequista and John Gaventa of the Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability.
In the article the authors explore the political and social approaches to supporting democracy and ask whether a third perspective - a societal approach - is needed to truly allow each nation to determine its own destiny.
Read the full article on the Open Democracy website: ‘Democracy-support: from recession to innovation'.
Photo: Sven Torfinn / Panos
Related Projects
- Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability - Exploring approaches that work to strengthen rights and meaningful citizenship for poor people (Ongoing)
- Participation Resource Centre - Practical and theoretical resources on participation from around the world, including participatory methods, approaches and critiques (Ongoing)