Institutional Changes for Democratic Dialogue

Introduction

This project takes as its starting point the profound crisis that is affecting constitutional democracies all over the world. The crisis is manifested both through a growing lack of confidence in constitutionalism and a dramatic increase in citizen dissatisfaction towards democracy.

Motivation

The project is mainly motivated by that crisis and focuses on one of its causes: the constitutional structure itself. It is grounded on the acknowledgement that our constitutions were written in order to serve societies that no longer exist - an obsolete political sociology - and based on theoretical assumptions that we no longer share - an elitist political philosophy.

Civic Disengagement

This would explain the widespread feelings of civic disengagement that are distinctive of our time, and of which (populist) politics frequently take advantage. In the face of the present crises, numerous scholars have proposed weakening even further the democratic elements of our constitutional structure, as if there existed a zero-sum relationship between democracy and constitutional rights.

Project Goals

Contrary to such views, this project wants to make constitutionalism more sensitive to the increasing democratic demands upon it. The project aims to offer concrete institutional alternatives devised to channel the demands of democracy and engage with activists and members of civil society, in order to discuss and disseminate the project's outcomes.

Methodology

For that purpose, this project will:

1. Gather information on both contemporary constitutional reforms and the recent Citizen Assemblies movement.
2. Compare and analyze that information with the help of experts and social activists.
3. Evaluate that material from the "regulatory ideal" that guides the project, which is that of democracy as a "conversation among equals."

Ultimate Goal

The ultimate goal of the project is to design institutional proposals that are at the same time respectful of individual rights and respectful of the decisions resulting from democratic dialogue.