Las iniciativas participativas en España: ¿amenaza u oportunidad para la democracia representativa?

Abstract

This article presents a number of elements suggesting that both the participatory experiences that occurred at the beginning of the century in Spain and the democratic demands of social movements (national and local) represent an opportunity for (representative) democratic renewal. The underlying assumption is that the vast majority of the innovations introduced have been promoted by people in government. These are quite simply representatives who, in growing numbers, adopt the «deliberative imperative» (Y. Sintomer)—that is, the (necessary?) consolidation of democracy through greater participation as a complement to representation. The article goes on to analyse the ways in which the work of official representatives has been affected by a number of expressions from civil society in favour of civic participation—the 15-M movement nationally and local groups promoting participatory processes in a number of towns.

Keywords

• Spain
• civil society
• disaffection
• participatory democracy
• political regeneration
• political representation