Mehr Demokratie, aber nur für wenige? Der Zielkonflikt zwischen mehr Beteiligung und politischer Gleichheit

Many observers consider democracy to be in need of reform because traditional forms of participation are being used less often today than in the past. One promising way to renew democracy would be to extend opportunities for political participation. Political interest will increase when citizens have a greater say in public affairs. To achieve this goal, we are currently witnessing electoral reforms on the one hand, and a surge in direct democracy on the other. However, as this paper shows, these democratic reforms tend to exacerbate the existing participatory gap between social groups. Three case studies demonstrate that some citizens are either unable or do not wish to use more demanding forms of participation; as a result greater participation might be endangering the democratic ideal of political equality.