The Benefits of Treating Democratic Innovations as Dynamic Social Theories

• In Event: Innovations and Theories for Public Engagement

Abstract

The pace and scale of democratic innovation is not yet able to address dissatisfaction with democracy or the rise of authoritarianism and illiberal pseudodemocracies. Scholarship is often not sufficiently engaged with provision to provide real-time feedback to practitioners and policy-makers to improve outcomes, or to enable effective innovations to travel across borders and cultures at scale. Potentially useful research is not accessible to practitioners. Many scholars are digging for gold then burying it when it could enrich society.
This paper aims to show how the concept of dynamic social theory (or social models) could increase the ability of scholars to improve democratic experimentation and accelerate the adoption and continuous improvement of effective innovation. It draws on my experience as lead facilitator of the first citizens assembly in England, 40-years work on models of civic participation at community and regional levels, and a major programme on models of accountability in global global governance.
What is a dynamic social theory?
Any pattern of behaviour, activity or institution that continues over time and is replicated, imitated or adapted by others embodies a great deal of knowledge about how to do things. This knowledge is embodied through physical infrastructure, norms, rituals, codes of conduct, procedures, organisational beliefs, theories, symbols and stories, as described in Alexander 2023a, b. Most of it is tacit, everyday knowledge based on phronesis (practical rationality) and context dependent (Flyvbjerg 2001).
Every institution can be seen as a “dynamic social theory” (or real-time social model), which includes features transmitted over millennia. Thus places of worship, markets and states are recognisable across centuries and cultures, with countless variations. Because societies are reflexive, and people constantly produce new knowledge and adapt institutions to changing circumstances, it is important to focus on real-time models, which is where innovation happens. Generic social models are only categories for wide varieties of practice.
Dynamic social theories can be seen as the social science equivalent to theories in the natural sciences. The Greek word thesmós (Θεσμός) for an institution, custom or practice could be used to tell it apart from theo̱ría, a theory or system of ideas to explain something, but ‘real-time social model’ is a good everyday term.
Every democratic innovation is a social model, as is every element of democracy, from voting procedures, legislative assemblies and government structures, to citizens’ organisations, protest movements and media. Successful models spread by example through stories and champions as well as adopters who develop them in new situations.
Why this matters
Recognising the power of a good example and the importance of stories and champions helps to see why and how democratic innovations spread. Seeing them as dynamic social theories, equivalent to theories in natural science, gives scholars a powerful justification for working on real-time models and disseminating evidence of what works..
This does not mean becoming uncritical advocates of pet projects, but using research skills and knowledge to work collaboratively with citizens, practitioners and policy-makers to improve real-time democratic innovations. This is already happening to some extent, through Participedia.net, the OECD, the Open Government Network and other forums, but not on the scale necessary to reverse democratic retrenchment.
Practices to support democratic innovations include::
Make skills and knowledge accessible for citizens furthest from power
Embed systematic evaluation, reflection and continuous improvement into innovations, to assess what works in real time
Aggregate and evaluate data, case studies and other evidence.
Identify, learn from and share relevant models of best practice with practitioners, policy-makers and citizens’ organisations
Strengthen communities of practice to share skills, knowledge and advocacy
Advocate for governments and other agencies to invest in democratic innovation
Above all, tell true stories about effective models and show how they improve lives.
Powerful people are actively promoting undemocratic and illiberal political innovations. We have a responsibility to help citizens develop pluralistic, open, inclusive, democratic and effective ways to run societies better.
References
Alexander, (2023a) ‘Can political science save democracy? Learning from models of civic and political education across the world’ https://preprints.apsanet.org/engage/apsa/article-details/64efe478dd1a73847fda42fd)
- (2023b) Unwrapping the McDonald's model: An introduction to dynamic social theory The Journal of American Culture: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jacc.13467, summarise in the LSE’s Impact Blog

Flyvbjerg, Bent (2001). Making Social Science Matter: Why Social Inquiry Fails and How It Can Succeed Again, Cambridge UP

Author

• Titus Alexander, Democracy Matters