democracy - Vision the Italian Think Tank

the opposite situation: only one of the Countries 12 with the highest growth ratebelongs to the group of consolidated democracies 13 ;2. The inequity; if again we shift from the absolute comparison to the in depthvariations and evaluations, not only western democracies experience growinggaps; but the most serious aspect is that a relevant part of the best resources areon the wrong side (the smallest and innovative enterprises, and a relevant partof the best graduates) while, on the contrary, many of the “newly rich” emergethanks to their private income or real estate investments which multiply theirvalue. Inequalities within democracies are not only growing but also themobility is decreasing, the shifting (based on merits) of individuals betweendifferent “income classes”; it seems, therefore, that the bond betweendemocracy and competition seems to be weakened 14 ;3. Finally, even if the number of parliamentarian democracies seems to grow, it iswithin the more advanced group of States that the confidence in such a regime,together with the turn over in the elections, diminishes more sharply.In reality, if it is true that democracy is the best regime possible, it could be that uncleWinston was wrong, that he was mistaken in his approach that was a little cynical andconservative. Most of all the feeling is that Churchill (or most recently Sartori orDahrendorf) is neglecting a fundamental element. Democracy is not an absolutevalue. It has to be judged in relation to the expectations of mankind and of thecomplexity of the problems it has to “govern”. Most of all, what some of the great‘elders’ are underestimating is the clear-cut separation between democracy’s formsand its substance, the necessity – that democracy has – to have to be always improvedto be able to survive.More in depth, to be persuaded of the supremacy of democracy does not mean oneaccepts its current configuration as unchangeable. If democracy – as a processthrough which the government answers to its citizens or as a mechanism that protectscompetition on a fair basis and not “disruptive” between groups that are fighting forthe power – is to be saved, it has to, in our opinion, make a leap in quality and such aleap will probably shed some of its characteristics – parliamentarian – that fordecades have defined it.What are the most serious limits of parliamentarian democracy? Which one emergeswith strength in respect to the characteristics of the new (Information) Society that weare building? And what does partecipative democracy really mean, which are thereform ideas that before long could be experimented to open new prospectives for thedemocracy that we know?12 Strangely San Marino’s republic (Italy) occupies the 17 th position with last year’s GDP variation of 7.5%13 Even if also Turkey and Albania are emerging democracies14 To this issue Vision has dedicated the work on the “Lisbon Strategy” for further details www.vision-forum.org6