Is democracy possible today?

The process of globalization, which exacerbates the

pluralism and complexity associated with modernity, and

an unauthorized delegation of power, challenges the

standard model of representative democracy, in which the

parliament is seen as the embodiment of the will of the

people. However, "the people" is never really present to

decide. The representatives are elected and the notions

of the common good or the public interest that they

espouse are inaccurate, at best. No legal form and no

actual assembly can claim legitimacy per se - as

expressions of la volonté générale. Thus, an alternative

conceptualization of the democratic process is required.

In order to get to the modern idea of democratic politics,

the normative content of the democratic constitutional

state is spelled out as this is understood in the

discourse-theoretical conception of deliberative

democracy. This conception is a viable alternative to the

standard model. It relinquishes nationality as requirement

for democracy. In the discourse-theoretical perspective,

popular sovereignty is de-substantiated and located in the

very procedures that govern law and decision making.

The parliamentary principle cannot by itself ensure

democratic legitimacy and has to be supplemented with

procedures that secure individual rights and public

debate. A threefold model of political power then

emerges: social, communicative and administrative

power. This perspective provides us with a rather

complex set of criteria for assessing democracy today

which, however, are needed not only for normative

reasons, but also because of the differentiated access

structure that exist in modern welfare states.

Erik Oddvar Eriksen er professor ved ARENA, Oslo Universitet.