Do flexible institutions enhance democracy? A comparative analysis of public governance innovations in Brazil and the UK

Abstract

NUPPs and INLOGOV are internationally recognised for the academic quality and societal relevance of their work on public policy, governance and democracy. This proposal will build a firm platform from which the two centres can cooperate to extend the reach and significance of their research and influence on goyernments, civil societies, and researchers. Proponents bring complementary expertise in the analysis of democratic innovations, the global search for new ways in which societal, economic and cultural problems can be resolveu through the direct involvement of citizens, civil society organisations, and other parties. The Brazilian and UK researchers have identified two paradoxes of contemporary democratic innovations. They will use the exchange activities to develop and test theories and rnethods to investigate these, leading to the production of a substantíal knowledge. The paradoxes are: First: acceptance of a democratic form of government as the ideal has become an almost universal consensus, but on the other hand public evaluation of the performance of democratic institutions is increasingly negative and has become marked by political mistrust and unwillingness to participate. Second, elected politicians themselves, the media ánd societal discourse frame the political executive as ultimately being accountable for public policy and its implementation; but at the same time those politidans are engaged in deleqation of responsibilities to participative institutions, thus undermining representative democracy by weakening the connection between the electoral process and public policy decisions. (AU)