The Democratic Anchorage of Governance Networks

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The Democratic Anchorage of Governance Networks

• Eva Sørensen
• Centre Conference
• 2. November 2006

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The democratic challenge of governance networks

• Governance networks might be efficient but are
  they also democratic?
• Core issue on the research agenda of the 2nd
  generation of network research
• Conceptual, descriptive and prescriptive tasks
• Identify indicators for measuring the democratic
  quality of governance networks
• Study to what extent actual governance networks
  function democratically
• Develop strategies for the enhancement of the
  democratic quality of governance networks

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State of the art in theories of network
governance

• Governance networks undermine traditional
  institutions of representative democracy
  problems with accountability, transparency,
  legitimacy, equal inclusion of citizens
• Calls for a redefinition of democracy and its
  institutions (Jessop, Kooiman, Rhodes, Kickert,
  Klijn and Koppenjan, Benz Papadopolous)
• it cannot simply be assumed that the standard
  model of democracy in the nation state can be
  applied (Benz Papadopoulos, 2006)
• Complex, diverse and dynamic forms of
  governance calls for complex, diverse and dynamic
  forms of democracy (Kooiman, 1993)
• We need to find ways to link territorial and
  functional units of governance (Rhodes, 1997)

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State of the art in democratic theory Dislocation

• Criticism of the actual performance of
  representative democracy limited public control,
  accountability and legitimacy (Dahl, Pitkin)
• Criticism of participatory forms of democracy
  totalitarian tendencies and conservatism (Bobbio)
• Political globalisation, loss of place, beyond
  public private (Held, Connolly, Dryzek)
• The democratic claim for a permanent contestation
  of sedimented conceptualisations and
  institutional forms of democracy (Bohman)
• Conceptual contestation from equality, liberty,
  fraternity within the boundaries of the nation
  state to the search for ways to ensure that all
  citizens have the best possible access and
  ability to influence the conditions under which
  they live
• Focus on political influence through the presence
  of strong channels of control and participation
• Institutional contestation The search for new
  and stronger forms of democratic control and
  participation

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In search of new forms of public control and
participation

• A number of new theories of democracy point
  directly, or indirectly, to ways in which
  governance networks might enhance public control
  and participation
• New, stronger and more interactive forms of
  public control
• Intensified elite competition between elites and
  sub-elites enhances public political contestation
  (Etzioni-Halevy, Mouffe)
• The presence of sub-elites increases mobility
  between citizens and elites (Ezioni-Halevy)
• Bodies that mediate between top-down and
  bottom-up governance enhances the mutual
  understanding between elites, subelites and
  stakeholders, and improves the quality of
  democratic decision making (Fung Wright, Hirst,
  Mouffe, Connolly)
• New and stronger forms of public participation
• Enhanced focus of affectedness as criterion for
  inclusion (Hirst, Marion Young, Fung Wright)
• Stakeholder participation as a means of enhancing
  the political empowerment and influence of the
  affected (Dryzek, Fung Wright)
• The call for democratic linkages between multiple
  demoi (Bohman, Sandel, Jessop)

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Towards democratic governance networks

• Governance networks can be perceived as
  sub-elites that empower stakeholders, establish
  interactive linkages between elites and the
  larger public in between elections, and provide
  linkages between different demoi
• Governance networks are not by nature democratic
• But they hold democratic potentials
• In search of a model for the democratic anchorage
  of governance networks based on four loosely
  coupled anchorage points

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The democratic anchorage of governance networks

• Governance networks are democratically anchored
  if they
• Are controlled, or meta-governed, by elected
  politicians,
• Represent the participating groups, and
  organisations, by functioning as a point of
  political identification,
• Are accountable to a larger territorially
  defined citizenry through public contestation,
• Follow the rules specified by a democratic
  grammar of conduct outlining criteria for
  inclusion/exclusion of stakeholders and
  mechanisms for reaching negotiated agreements.

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Metagoverning politicians

4. Governance network regulated by democratic
rules and norms
Membership basis of participating groups and
organisations
Territorially defined citizenry