Why open democracy,
the we & the statedesperately need each other
Outi Kuittinen, tutkija/researcher, Demos Helsinki +358 50 326 55 82 [email protected]
(Open) democratic process
Why open democracy and
the state need the ’we’
Photo of Critical mass: hugovk, flickr Creative Commons
Citizen movements create (better) things to decide on
ECI on 30 km/h speed limit by NGOs
Dodo’s urban farmers
May 2009: Little knowledge, lots of enthusiastic hands
Photo: Dodo ry
September 2009: Sharing the enthusiasm
Photo: Dodo ry
Citizen movements nurture active citizens that are interested in, and capable of, grasping the
opportunities of open democracy
Photo: Dodo ry
The state is slow and its resources are limited. Without citizen movements people’s possibilities to
make use of the tools of open democracy remain weak.
Open ministry
September 2009: Sharing the enthusiasm
Photo: Dodo ry
Photo: Dodo ry
April 2012: Urban farming centre opens
In citizen movements
‘me’ becomes ’we’
Keski-Pasilan suunnitelma
Kuva: Helsingin kaupungin kaavoituskatsaus
Photo: Dodo ry
A ’we’ that understands a bigger picture
created together through actionInstead of me,
’a self-service king’, doomed to make
individual choices and carry the responsibilities
Why the ‘we’ needs
open democracy and the state
When people move,
structures move
21st century citizen action
Photo of Critical mass: hugovk, flickr Creative
21st century citizen action
Photo of Critical mass: hugovk, flickr Creative
fast-paced projects, temporary combines virtual and live environments quickly forms networks across the world combines people’s different capabilities open processes, information sharing, deliberation non-hierarchical, averse to formal organisation is based on trust of being peers and trust is developed through action ”we + just like me”
lived experience ><representative democratic process
> new action is not able to connect to it and its potential of moving structures is lost
(Open) democratic process
Photo of Critical mass: hugovk, flickr Creative
+Open democracy =
Photo of Critical mass: hugovk, flickr Creative
What kind of action by citizen groups and communities open democracy needs to become more than just a potential?
What new links btw we and the state is needed?
= new type of partnership btw goverment and citizen
action?
Outi Kuittinen Demos Helsinki
www.demos.fi
slideshare.net/demoshelsinki
facebook.com/groups/8838070791/
flickr.com/photos/demoshelsinki
Dodo:
kaupunkiviljely.fi kaantopoyta.fi
Let’s co-think thatin the workshop.
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