Green European Journal (2014) The Green Democratic Reboot, Green European Foundation, Annual Print Edition 2014, September.
In recent years, the volume of articles and books dedicated to the democratic crisis has been constantly expanding. The same is true of the literature addressing the ecological crisis. Yet a simultaneous reflection both on the ecological and on the democratic crisis has not accompanied this proliferation. This is the intention of this print edition of the Green European Journal.
What we want to discuss is the dual significance of the “sustainability of democracy”: 1. the capacity of democratic systems to be “sustainable”, and to be transmitted to the future generations; 2. the ability of democratic representative systems to take up the ecological challenge and to respect the rights of the future generations.
The European elections showed us just a few worrisome trends: low voter turnout, especially in the newer member states; successes of populist, eurosceptic, even anti-democratic, parties; authoritarian tendencies; a narrowing of the pluralism in debates; the transformation of activism in political parties at a time when their hold on political life is only getting stronger…
These trends can be observed both at a national and European level where they are likely to have been accentuated by the economic and financial crisis. This edition seeks to identify and examine their root causes. It also sketches some reforms that could address them by, for example, strengthening participation in the democratic life in Europe.
Relevant posts:
- Pisani-Ferry, J. (2014) “Can Investment Save Europe?“, Project Syndicate, 30 July.
- The World Bank (2014) “Little Green Data Book 2014“, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, June.
- Orphanides, A. (2014) “The Euro Area Crisis: Politics Over Economics“, MIT Sloan Research Paper No. 5091-14, 10 June.