Threats to Democracy and Information Disorder

Weymouth & Hartz-Karp, 2015

This paper discusses how deliberative collaborative governance (DCG) can restore citizen trust in government which in turn aids in a government's ability to tackle wicked problems. The authors argue that the increase of wicked problems and decrease of government trust affect one another where governments inability to solve wicked problems deteriorates citizen trust which in turn weakens these institutions. To solve this, DCG has been proposed which advocates for collaboration between citizens and government where the scope of wicked problems is expanded beyond the sole responsibility of government and gives citizens greater collaborative opportunities with their governments to tackle wicked problems. Principles of DCG were employed in Greater Geraldton, Australia to bridge the gap between citizens and government with the following being implemented:

• A citizens jury was implemented in the city where 25 citizens were randomly selected to produce a Digital Futures plan. These jurors received guidance from outside groups and local governments on how they wanted to envision the city entering a new digital age.
• A deliberative participatory budgeting panel was created where a randomly selected group of citizens were able to recommend how the city devotes its budget after being subject to a series of workshops to better understand the budgeting process

These were only a handful of programs encouraged by DCG in Greater Geraldton, Australia which resulted in greater levels of government trust among citizens as they believed their voices were finally being heard. DCG offers governments a tool to better educate its citizens about government functions while also receiving valuable feedback and collaborative efforts from citizens with the ultimate goal being greater cooperation in tackling wicked problems. 

Janette Hartz-Karp is Emeritus Professor at Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute. Robert Weymouth received a Doctorate in Philosophy at Curtin University with a focus on deliberative democracy.

Weymouth, R., & Hartz-Karp, J. (2015). Deliberative collaborative governance as a democratic reform to resolve wicked problems and improve trust. Journal of Economic & Social Policy, 17(1), 62-95. 

Kużelewska, E., & Tomaszuk, M. 

This study analyzes the connection between the COVID-19 era and the development of the top three conspiracy theories from that time. This study claims that the rise and increasing spread of conspiracy theories is due to citizens’ decreasing trust of the government and lack of improper communication from the government to citizens. Conspiracy theories rise when there is lack of a sufficient explanation of an event and typically involve small powerful groups who have hidden agendas. They are developed by people who genuinely believe them and spread them in an attempt to warn others, or by people who want to discredit a person or institution. During the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic, people were forced to stay inside their homes which led to an increase in boredom and internet consumption which made people go down rabbit holes on the internet. Another cause of some conspiracy theories comes from the lack of reliable knowledge or disbelief in science mixed with religious beliefs. Lastly, when two events happen at the same time and there is no clear answer as to why something has happened, people tend to assume that there is a correlation between the two events. Typically in times of crisis, citizens lean more toward trusting the government and public institutions, however, governments did not have the proper infrastructure in place to handle the COVID-19 pandemic, thus leading to confusion and distrust in the government’s competence. 

Dr. Elzbieta Kuzelewska is a professor at the University of Bialystok. She specializes in public law, elections, public opinion and voting behavior. 

Kużelewska, E., & Tomaszuk, M. (2022). Rise of Conspiracy Theories in the Pandemic Times. International journal for the semiotics of law = Revue internationale de semiotique juridique, 35(6), 2373–2389. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11196-022-09910-9

Cho, Y. 

This empirical research paper analyzes the relationship between democratic understanding and democratic support between forty-four societies. The research concluded that societies with higher educational standards (typically old democracies) demonstrated higher levels of democratic understanding and support because increased quality education provides for a higher cognitive ability to resist authoritarian propaganda. Additionally, citizens of authoritarian states who had proper democratic understanding were more likely to support democracy despite governmental barriers, specifically regarding free and fair elections and human rights/civil liberties. Developing countries that transitioned from authoritarian to democratic processes (new democracies) with increased democracy-forward education and advancement saw longer-lasting democratic processes and chose democracy as opposed to authoritarianism if given the choice between the two regime types.

Based on the conclusions of this empirical research, it is recommended that international organizations and national/intergovernmental policy-makers should adopt programs that provide and promote democratic education in new developing democracies and authoritative regimes. These programs will focus on accurate depictions of democratic standards and processes in comparison to authoritative governmental rule and policies in new developing democracies and authoritative regimes. It is proven that the spread of democratic education in authoritarian and post-authoritarian regimes increases the chance of the regime transitioning to democracy. Adopting democracy-forward education programs is a viable option to promote democratic knowledge and increase support for democracy, or at least, increased demand for free and fair elections and human rights. However, the issue still remains that totalitarian regimes are notorious for restricting or limiting travel, controlling all media, and restricting abroad intervention programs. Intervention from countries abroad are seemingly impossible at this time, so, this recommendation is better for uplifting democratic support in countries that are experiencing democratic backsliding, as well as transitioning societies whose democratic standards are fragile.

Dr. Youngho Cho is a professor of Political Science at Sogung University. His research has been published in several international and Korean peer-reviewed journals and books. 

Cho, Y. (2014). To Know Democracy Is to Love It: A Cross-National Analysis of Democratic Understanding and Political Support for Democracy. Political Research Quarterly, 67(3), 478–488. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24371886