William Maloney, Newcastle University
The UK (and other advanced democracies) appear to be suffering from a democratic squeeze. Voter turnout, partisan consistency, partisan identification, party membership, and trust in politicians and government – all crucial to a healthy functioning democracy – are declining (see Mair, 2006). The contemporary democratic tenet is that ‘Unless citizens participate in the deliberation of public policy, and their choices structure government action, then democratic processes are meaningless (Dalton, 2008: 78). However, strengthening democratic decision-making processes is not an easy matter – most citizens are hard to motivate to engage in public-policy debates and most can find better things to do with their time.
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