Demokratie als Selbst-Regieren

Prof. Dr. Brigitte Geißel, Institut für Politikwissenschaft, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Leiterin der Forschungsstelle Demokratische Innovationen

Teil A: Prinzipien des Selbst-Regierens
1. Bürger*innen entscheiden darüber, wie sie sich selbst regieren
2. Bürger*innen überwachen die kontinuierliche Anpassung
3. Kollektive Willensbildung ist verbunden mit politische Entscheidungsfindung
Teil B: Warum es bestehenden Demokratien nicht gelingt, Selbst-Regieren zu verwirklichen
4. Präferenzen und Kompetenzen der Bürger*innen
5. Etablierte Praktiken sind unzureichend
6. Existierende Experiment reichen nicht aus
Teil C: Florierende Demokratien: Visionäre Ansätze zur Verwirklichung von Selbst-Regieren
7. Praktiken zur kollektiven Willensbildung und Entscheidungsfindung
8. Verfahren, die Willensbildung und Entscheidungsfindung verbinden
9. Neue institutionelle Kontexte zur Verwirklichung von Selbst-Regieren
Fazit: Florierende, selbst-regierende Demokratien – unsere Zukunft

Stimmen zur englischen Ausgabe The Future of Self-Governing, Thriving Democracies, Routledge, 2023



0187A strong account of democracy that places self-governing at its core, Thriving Democracies develops a detailed account of the practices and institutions that can make self-governing work today’s complex, pluralistic societies. Both idealistic and pragmatic, the book is an important step forward in democratic theory for the 21st century.« Mark E. Warren, University of British Columbia, Canada



»Brigitte Geissel not only lays out the case for self-governing communities, but offers an extensive menu of institutional options for how citizens might collectively construct their own “Thriving Democracies”. This is highly ambitious territory that Geissel is unafraid to explore in the hope of inspiring much needed democratic restructuring.« Graham Smith, Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD), University of Westminster, UK



»Imagine a democracy that is entirely citizen-driven, in which citizens decide how they wish to govern themselves; a democracy that is continuously adapting; a democracy whose decisions reflect the will of its citizens. In this fascinating study, Brigitte Geissel not only imagines it, she also shows how someday we might achieve it.« David Farrell, University College Dublin



»Are you interested in a book that is thoughtful, inspiring, provocative, but at the same time really informative about deliberative and participatory institutions? Thriving Democracies is the book! A language far from academicism and a text full of clarifying graphs, real examples and applications to difficult political problems make it a really enjoyable reading. Far from abstract political theory, but also willing to go beyond existing realities and pure empirism, Thriving Democracies is an inspiring book for activists, participation practitioners, students, academics or (brave) politicians alike.« Joan Font, Institute for Advanced Social Studies (IESA-CSIC), Cordoba, Spain



»This is a wonderful and thought-provoking book. Brigitte Geissel is a true defender of democracy as self-government. Her emphasis on the need for citizens and communities to decide how they want to govern themselves, together with a thorough evaluation of democratic innovations, is much needed in times when democracy is under threat.« Kimmo Grönlund, Abo Akademi: The Future of Democracy – Center of Excellence, Finland



»In her thought-provoking book, Brigitte Geissel puts forward radical proposals for popular self-government in a vibrant democracy. By reviewing and assessing a broad range of participatory practices, the book provides many innovative but practicable ideas for democratic renewal.« Maija Setälä, professor, University of Turku



»Anyone who cares about democracy should read this book. Driven by a strong belief in the power of citizens and communities and based on a thorough analysis of the academic literature, Brigitte Geissel develops a convincing argument for renewing democracies. She also makes several practical suggestions that communities can adapt to their own needs.« Ank Michels, University of Utrecht, Netherlands



»Brigitte Geissel has more than three decades of experience researching, teaching, and thinking on democracy building. Far from frequent ethnocentric views, in The Future of Self-Governing, Thriving Democracies her aim is to encourage communities to rethink their democracies, because there is no one-size-fits-all model. It is a must read in times of democratic upheaval.« Yanina Welp, Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, Zurich, Switzerland



»Modern governments have become a tiny one-way street leading from government to the people. This street needs to be renovated and reconstructed into a multiple lane highway going in both directions. Brigitte Geissel, political scientist extraordinaire, tells us where and how to build!« Rhonda Lee Kammer, freelance lecturer, Weston, USA