Demokrati og politisk organisering i en krisetid
Abstract
Democracy and political organization in a time of crisis
Democratic backlashes challenge the optimistic faith in the ruled as rulers, rational organization and decision-making, civil coexistence and progress; and fear of the future of democratic institutions, identities and ways of life reactivates enduring issues about the role of institutions in political and societal life. Here (also Olsen 2026) I offer an organizational-institutional approach to these developments. Attention is directed towards democracy’s normative, societal and political-organizational foundations; government organization’s contribution to democracy and civilized coexistence; conditions for deliberately fostering democratic institutions and identities and combining governing as forming and adapting to society.
Democracy is portrayed as a dynamic process, and a key distinction is made between governing within a political order and governing when the order is challenged. Democracies face illiberal and authoritarian attacks, as well as justified complaints about the organization, working and developments of both majoritarian and non-majoritarian institutions. There is a possibility of democratic crumbling or collapse; a restoration of the old order, as institutions have more time to organize their opposition; and democracies may innovate and develop a New Order, a New Deal and a New Narrative that gives meaning and a feeling of direction to citizens and makes conflicts constructive rather than destructive.
Democracy and political organization in a time of crisis Democratic backlashes challenge the optimistic faith in the ruled as rulers, rational organization and decision-making, civil coexistence and progress; and fear of the future of democratic institutions, identities and ways of life reactivates enduring issues about the role of institutions in political and societal life. Here (also Olsen 2026) I offer an organizational-institutional approach to these developments. Attention is directed towards democracy’s normative, societal and political-organizational foundations; government organization’s contribution to democracy and civilized coexistence; conditions for deliberately fostering democratic institutions and identities and combining governing as forming and adapting to society.
Democracy is portrayed as a dynamic process, and a key distinction is made between governing within a political order and governing when the order is challenged. Democracies face illiberal and authoritarian attacks, as well as justified complaints about the organization, working and developments of both majoritarian and non-majoritarian institutions. There is a possibility of democratic crumbling or collapse; a restoration of the old order, as institutions have more time to organize their opposition; and democracies may innovate and develop a New Order, a New Deal and a New Narrative that gives meaning and a feeling of direction to citizens and makes conflicts constructive rather than destructive.
