Topic 2: Direct democracy and degrowth: tightening the links
Supervisors: Christos Zografos, Aggelos Varvarousis
Although degrowth scholarship both considers democracy as an essential aspect of the
degrowth project (Muraca, 2014; Latouche, 2009) and establishes direct democracy as
a promising vehicle for pursuing degrowth transitions (Zografos, 2015), there is little
evidence as to how exactly direct democracy can help achieve such transformations.
This masters dissertation project will study the relation between direct democracy and
radical socio-ecological transformation. In particular, the dissertation will try to answer
the question: What is the relevance of direct democracy (defined as a project of popular
self-rule, and continuous and unmediated participation in the tasks of government) for
producing radical socio-ecological transformations? And, if there is a relation, a second
related research question would be: How exactly does direct democracy help produce
such transformations? Finally, the dissertation will use findings from answers to those
two questions for reflecting on what can be the relevance of direct democracy for
effecting socio-ecological transformations to a future degrowth society.
To answer those questions, the student will use qualitative methodologies. First, the
student will search and review literature relating direct democracy to radical socioecological transformation in order to generate a hypothesis about the ways in which
direct democracy practices and discourses may help produce such transformations.
After that, the student will empirically test this hypothesis in a case study that will be
selected jointly with the supervisor. Potential cases can be smaller-scale projects such
as e.g. assembly-based co-operatives, or larger-scale projects such as specific initiatives
implemented by radical municipalist governments. Student preferences and experience
will be important in selecting the case. To conduct the case study, the student will use
qualitative methods, such as in-depth interviews, systematic review of documentation,
direct observation, etc. Prior knowledge of those methods is expected (e.g. having taken
the Qualitative Research Methods course of the ICTA master).
References
Latouche, S. 2009. Farewell to Growth. Polity Press, London.
Muraca, B. 2014. A postgrowth society will have to be democratic or will not be at all.
Stirring Paper for the Group Assembly Process of the International Degrowth Conference
Leipzig 2014
Zografos, C. 2015. Démocratie directe [Direct Democracy]. In: D’Alisa, G. Demaria, F.,
Kallis, G. Décroissance. Vocabulaire pour une nouvelle ère [Degrowth. Vocabulary for a
new era]. Neuvy-en-Champagne: Éditions le passager clandestine, pp: 187-194. [also
available in English]