| Short Summary | | Title | The Politics of Democratic Governance: Organising for Social Inclusion and Gender Equity | | Author | Pedwell, C. and Perrons, D. | | Publication Date | May 2007 | | Publisher | One World Action | | Summary Source | This summary is adapted from the report | | Summary | Democratic governance involves developing institutions and processes that are more responsive to the needs of ordinary citizens. Specifically, it seeks to promote greater participation of marginalised groups within political processes, through addressing gender, class, race, ethnicity, caste, disability and sexuality inequalities, and greater accountability of governments towards those who have traditionally been excluded from political action. Political processes include both formal, organised politics and non-formal political activism by civil society organisations (CSOs) or social movements engaging with local and national governments. Most democratic states employ a system of representative democracy in which elected representatives are tasked with acting in the interest of constituents. In this context, calls for the development of more participatory forms of democracy have been voiced.
This report is based on a two-day seminar organised by One World Action in London in March 2007. The event brought together activists at the forefront of democracy building in Indonesia, Guatemala, Brazil, Thailand, Nicaragua, Philippines, Malawi, India and Zambia with policymakers in the UK and Europe to focus on how poor and marginalised people can have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives. Participants examined the challenges marginalised groups face in organising, engaging with and transforming political processes. Looking at examples from a range of international contexts, the presentations and discussions considered the potential of new strategies and forms of political engagement that aim to build equitable, gender-sensitive, democratic and accountable governance. The two central seminar objectives were: to create a learning environment in which information, skills and experience could be shared through South-South, South-North, North-South and North-North circuits; and to provide opportunities for Southern civil society leaders to engage directly with and influence policymakers and opinion-formers from the North.
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