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Parliament and Public Engagement: two sides of the same coin?

Parliament and Public Engagement: two sides of the same coin?. Cristina Leston-Bandeira (ESRC – RES-000-22-4072) ECPRD, Parliaments on the net IX, May 2011. Contents. Discourse of political disengagement The endless pursuit of trust The paradoxes of parliament

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Parliament and Public Engagement: two sides of the same coin?

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  1. Parliament and Public Engagement: two sides of the same coin? Cristina Leston-Bandeira (ESRC – RES-000-22-4072) ECPRD, Parliaments on the net IX, May 2011

  2. Contents • Discourse of political disengagement • The endless pursuit of trust • The paradoxes of parliament • Marrying Participatory with Representative Democracy

  3. Context of discourse on political disengagement • Decline vote turnout • Decline in trust • Political discourse of vote apathy • But... • Still, huge area of focus • New media: first a panacea, then a must

  4. Impact of internet on parliaments • Internet: opening up • But many challenges also • One of the most exposed political institutions • Questioning of legitimacy • Parliament has come to symbolise political disengagement

  5. A unique institution Representative institution not about participatory democracy • Collective • Visible • Accountable • No single institutional voice • Differing (opposing) agendas • Multiplicity of audiences • Temporary leaderships (vs permanent staff)

  6. Some of the challenges in adopting new media • Slow processes • Difficult combination with technology • An a-political political institution • Challenge of a single corporate image and voice • Personification of competing actors

  7. The paradox of parliament and new media vs

  8. Developing the paradox • How to make the most of new media tools in the context of non-personal, non-immediate and ultimately a-political spaces such as parliaments? • How to support the political voice of parliament? • How to engage with the public in this context?

  9. Developing Public Engagement • Huge demand for online opening up • Large investments on public engagement - namely through new media tools • Development of communication/information services • Great focus on citizen input • Great focus on participatory democracy tools

  10. Marriage between Participatory and Representative Democracy

  11. The perverse effects of Public Engagement • Activities mainly a-political, a-personal, a-individual • Public engagement becoming a product in itself • Contradictory pursuit of participatory democracy • Undermining of representative and political role of institution

  12. Summing up - two sides of same coin? • Endless pursuit of trust not entirely helpful • Fine balance between: • Impartiality and Political • Accessibility and Representing • Public Engagement and The Business • Looking for: • Integration of political meaning • Acceptance of Representative remit

  13. Thank you Photos from respective parliaments’ websites or iStockphoto.com C.C.Leston-Bandeira@hull.ac.uk www2.hull.ac.uk/fass/managing-parliaments-image.aspx

  14. But... • Decline turnout not that significant (Franklin, Rose) • Trust varies according to external variables (Dalton et al) • Huge increase of participatory democracy • Development of Critical Citizens(Norris)

  15. Summing up - two sides of same coin? • Endless pursuit of trust not entirely helpful • Fine balance between: • Impartiality and Political • Accessibility and Representing • Public Engagement and The Business • Looking for: • Integration of political meaning • Acceptance of Representative remit

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