Spreading deliberative democracy starting from school - Academia

Compared to authoritarian and one-party systems, how can democracies truly benefit people and give them the best options to live “good” lives?

Under pressure from many fronts, democratic societies are struggling to solve these problems. The authoritarian way seems to be to deliver by promising top-down, rapid development that could lift people out of poverty.

One of the best ways to strengthen democracy is instead to work from the grassroots, unlocking people’s energy and creativity through deliberative practices.

I hope that such democratic innovations, where people at the local level meet and make decisions based on reasoned dialogue, can offer a powerful remedy not only to strengthen democracy but to truly reinvent it.

How about starting with schools? Imagine giving children a say in how the budget is allocated or giving them a say in monitoring how their school budget is spent. How about letting younger students be responsible for some important aspects of school management, such as budgeting and resource allocation?

At a recent online seminar hosted by PeoplePowered, a global non-profit organization, I learned about some interesting initiatives on participatory budgeting at the school level. Education for Democracy, The Case for Participatory Budgeting in Schools, is an interesting new resource presented and discussed throughout the event.

Edited by Daniel Schugurensky and Tara Bartlett, director and associate director of the Participatory Governance Initiative at Arizona State University in the United States, this publication provides not only insight but also ways to engage and involve students in budget-centered decision-making.

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