- Isn’t there also something called effective democracy with nuances like effective altruism?
What is it?
Thinking about effective altruism
Effective altruism is an ethical approach that seeks to create the greatest good with limited resources. It focuses on measuring the effects of actions and making choices that bring the most benefit.
Isn’t there a similar nuance of effective democracy?
The concept of “effective democracy” is similar to effective altruism, which aims to optimize the resources and decision-making processes in a democracy to bring about more benefits and outcomes. Specifically, this approach focuses on improving the efficiency of the means of gathering public opinion and policy implementation to achieve the greatest happiness for the greatest number.
For example, digital democracy that leverages technology and the use of decision-making tools that more effectively reflect citizens’ views are part of this process. Within democracy, this could include incorporating quality deliberations, AI support, etc., rather than simply relying on majority rule or formal processes to have an effective impact.
Think in terms of efficiency for whom?
The “efficiency” in effective democracy depends on the perspective of whose interests are paramount. When considering this “efficiency for whom?” the following different perspectives emerge
- Citizens as a whole: creating an efficient process for many citizens means increasing the transparency of decision-making and opportunities for participation. An example is the use of digital tools to collect opinions on a large scale and platforms such as Polis to efficiently reflect a large number of opinions.
- Policy makers (politicians and bureaucrats): Highly accurate data and algorithmic support are effective for streamlining the policy-making process and for making high-quality decisions quickly. However, there is also a concern that greater efficiency will reduce opportunities for citizen participation, so a balance is important.
- Specific groups to benefit: If effective democracy is to be specific to a particular group (e.g., the economically vulnerable), it must be designed to benefit that group efficiently. An example of this is an affirmative action policy.
The form of democracy will vary greatly depending on who the efficiency perspective is directed toward. Consequently, the choice between benefiting the whole or focusing on a particular segment of the population will determine what is considered “effective” in a democracy.
next: One person, one vote is like a welfare state.
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