Democracy is not just about the formal structures of elections and political representation; democracy is more fundamentally about where authority rests in society. A democratic society is one where ordinary people have authority; enough authority to make political demands, to hold people to account, to be taken seriously. This is why there is an essential link between democracy and dignity. Democratisation is about the dispersal of authority throughout society – the dignity of ‘ordinary folk’. So what is authority and how can participatory practices create it or redistribute it? These questions lead us to think about the ways in which different people are characterised as knowing, or not knowing, about ‘reality’ or ‘the real world’. I want to suggest that ‘knowledge of reality’ is a crucial battleground of democracy.
Peer2Politics
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on peer-to-peer dynamics in politics, the economy and organizations
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jean lievens
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Open data is the key to balancing power in cities between residents and decision-makers. 
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When I left IBM just over two years ago to become the first Chief Technology Officer for the City of Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel gave me clear marching orders. I was to take the lead in setting high standards for open, participatory government to involve all Chicagoans. At the time, Chicago lagged behind other American cities in open data access and other digital city initiatives.Thanks to a lot of work and creativity by Chicagoans in government, non-profits, businesses and community groups—not to mention individuals–we have more than caught up. We achieved great progress in making city data available to all, in catalyzing an app economy and in improving digital literacy. Yet I feel that we have just scratched the surface of what’s possible when it comes to fostering participatory democracy.
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Participatory democracy has come a long way since its inception in Porto Alegre in Brazil back in the 1980′s. Despite this progress however, the movement has not really gained traction in large, western democracies yet. There are signs that this is changing however.
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Matt Wells meets Sister Teresa Forcades, a Catalan nun who has become one of Spain's most recognisable anti-capitalist campaigners.
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A global grassroots movement to establish democratic participation within globalisation
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The European citizens' initiative allows one million EU citizens to participate directly in the development of EU policies, by calling on the European Commission to make a legislative proposal.
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Open data is the key to balancing power in cities between residents and decision-makers.
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Crowdsourcing has taken participatory government to another level.
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By John Tolva When I left IBM just over two years ago to become the first Chief Technology Officer for the City of Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel gave me clear marching orders.
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