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Direct democracy is dangerous. So are all other forms of governance. The only significant example of direct democracy in action has been Switzerland, and it's
by mafribe 9y ago
Direct democracy is dangerous.
So are all other forms of governance.
The only significant example of direct democracy in action has been Switzerland, and it's been pretty successful in comparison. Yes, n=1 is not good, but better than n=0.
- adventured 9y agoCalifornia has been using a direct democracy model in various formulations for a long time and it's four times the size of Switzerland in both population and economy. The results are at best mixed (eg California has one of the lowest median incomes and weakest education systems in the US, to go with immense debt & infrastructure problems, despite vast wealth in the top 10%).
- mafribe 9y agoInteresting. I'm not familiar with the Californian model. But as with direct democracy in cities and villages, California is not a country, so certain life/death decisions, like engaging in warfare, are not applicable. Moreover, I believe that some of California's problems are a direct consequence of its spectacular success, which attracts large-scale immigration, largely from poorer countries. California has grown by > 10x in the last century. In contrast, the Swiss population expanded at a much lower pace. Be that all as it may, by many metrics California is also a spectacular success.
- enraged_camel 9y ago>>eg California has one of the lowest median incomes and weakest education systems in the US, to go with immense debt & infrastructure problems, despite vast wealth in the top 10% Can you provide some citations to these claims?