Is true participatory democracy capable to function with a capitalist economic structure??

Question

??

Answer 1

Sort of.

But ... I don´t know of any example where it even existed without capitalism (freedom of contract).

So ... I think capitalism can work with either dictatorship or democracy or, for that matter with any other political system apart from total anarchy. But democracy probably can´t do without some kind of capitalism (freedom of contract, markets etc.).

Answer 2

Particpatory democracy is a political system.  Capitalism is an economic system.  They are neither compatible nor incompatible.  Participatory democracy can work with capitalism or with socialism or communism.  Capitalism can work with participatory democracy or representative democracy or dictatorship.

It's like asking 'Could an oboe player be a vegetarian?' or 'Could a stamp collector have brown hair?'  One thing has nothing to do with the other.

Answer 3

I preface this with I am disillusioned and think  that our government is on the verge of collapse.

My answer is evidently No.

Scientific  evidence is being ignored for political :wants,desires,opinions.

They fail time after time  and ignored by people in power,interested in advancing their wants.

They fail.

Their failure is ignored as they do not support the desired conclusion.

The moneyed, and/or powerful are thus building a structure based of errors, fables and bad thinking supported by nothing but opinion.

Unfortunately facts will still be there and  will be unaffected  by  the fore going bad thinking and will  cause the collapse of  the government that  values petty fiction, above fact.

Too bad the democracy, or rather modern republic was so good in the beginning.

Answer 4

As one other post mentioned, you are comparing apples to oranges.  Democracy and capitalism are two totally different animals and can operate totally independently of each other.  This can be seen in China where they basically have a communist dictatorship, but a more capitalist economy.  All that is required of a capitalist economy is less government interference in commerce.

Here is the issue as I see it in modern America.  We are at a point in time where we have forgotten that being part of a democratic republic requires an active and informed citizenry.  We are all tasked with the duty to make wise and informed decisions about our nation and vote the same way.  Our nation was founded on the notion that people take care of themselves and the role of government is to provide for the general security and infrastructure of the nation.  Instead, we have become a nation of lazy and apathetic people who expect the government to solve all our problems for us and hand us everything on a platter.  

People complain how screwed up the government is, but continue to vote for the same candidates over and over.  Third parties are largely ignored.  People don't try to understand issues or the stance of politicians.  People want simple solutions to complex problems, which is something that simply doesn't exist.  People don't try to understand government, economics, history, or any other important topics, but instead spend their times discussing the merits of American Idol or Dancing With the Stars.  People get their news from The Daily Show on Comedy Central.  The state of affairs in America is exactly why we don't have a pure democracy, but a republic.  Pure democracy will totally collapse in the face of such nearly complete public apathy and ignorance.  A republic relies on a group of informed individuals that tend to follow public opinion, but can choose to decide otherwise in the event of a totally misguided public.  

On this note, people don't understand that for a capitalist economy to be effective, government needs to play a very small role in regulating business.  Instead, we have a bureaucratic system that has basically paralyzed business in America and stagnated our economy.  Do you ever stop to wonder why business has moved overseas?  Yes, it is cheaper.  Why is it cheaper?  Because business is not burdened with the infinite number of regulations and laws that have made the cost of business far too high.  And the answer people cry for?  More government intervention and higher taxes on business.  A decade ago, we had the lowest tax burden placed on business.  Today, we have the second highest in the world.  Is there any wonder why our economy is floundering?  

Every citizen needs to read some books on the founding principles of our government and on basic economics before they start complaining about our country.

Answer 5

Yes.

eg developer puts in roads and builds houses.  Gives the roads to the city and the city takes over the care of the roads.  

Home owners win.  New community and tax base for the city. And a thriving community for the residents.

Just one of Thousands of good examples.  Do not let the negative few instances blind you to the many great examples of public private partnerships.

"It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it."

    Arnold Toynbee

Answer 6

I think the three respondents all have parts of the answer. First, its a semantic issue when you talk about true participatory democracy. Does everyone have to fulfill their duty as a voter for the system to work? On every issue? Does every voter have to have the same influence on the political process? True is a value loaded word, that makes things kind of difficult.

The second responder is especially right in that hes getting at the idea that they are both ideal types. You probably couldnt craft a complex society that engaged in true participatory democracy that was very large. Likewise you probably couldnt quite create a perfect capitalist economic structure. I disagree with the second poster in that i do believe that although they certainly are different elements, they are going to interact and likely can affect each other. Political decisions are made about economic issues (as the first poster notes) and economic interests can at times work against political goals (as the third poster notes).

The first poster is mostly right in that you dont want to miss the forest when your looking at the trees. In large part the blend between democracy and capitalism has worked, though not entirely the fault of either one of them. There are numerous ways in which private and public spheres work together for the betterment of many. However the third poster can also be correct in the sense that these things can subvert one another and make things much more difficult when you look at society from a particular lens.

All in all if we assume for the moment our ideal types are real things, then the answer is a qualified yes. A lot of people (myself included) will get in to discussions about what qualifications are most relevant and what can be done to make the relationship a better one, but we certainly are seeing something that resembles participatory democracy functioning within something that resembles a capitalist economic system.