On November 28, 2019, the annual The State of Conflict conference took place, an initiative of Public Mediation and the University of Amsterdam, in collaboration with WesselinkvanZijst. This year's theme was conflict and democratic renewal.

Conflict affects us all: societal change, after all, exists by the grace of conflict. Democracy should help us to manage those changes peacefully, while also providing space for different ideas and interests in society. But both the conflicts and the context in which they manifest are changing. If our democracy does not change along with them, its effectiveness will eventually suffer.

Consider, for example, scientists and students raising the alarm about climate change; farmers and construction workers concerned about their job security; teachers and healthcare providers buckling under excessive workloads; and proponents and opponents of Zwarte Piet fighting for inclusivity and the preservation of cultural identity.

Each of these groups has legitimate interests at stake. Societal trends such as climate change, aging populations, and globalization play an important role here. Add to this that citizens have increasing access to information and are less easily represented by groups, and it becomes clear that our democracy is seriously being tested. This is reason enough for a conference on the relationship between conflict and democratic renewal.

Soft Spaces

Two keynote speakers, Prof. Dr. Maarten Hajer and Dr. Marianella Sclavi, shed light on the challenges of contemporary democracy.

Hajer and Sclavi began by observing that contemporary complex issues are still being approached in traditional ways. For example, consultation structures from the SER in the 1950s are being used today to reach an agreement on the climate. Institutionalized democracy as we know it has a rigid and hierarchical character, while the complexity of current societal problems actually demands more adaptability and broader participation.

The adaptability is missing in democratic institutions as we know them. Hajer notes that when major changes are needed, institutions often get stuck. Therefore, he advocates for the use of ‘soft spaces.’ Soft spaces are free areas in which innovative initiatives have a chance. They offer a place where different organizations and stakeholders who would not normally collaborate can find each other. In this environment, there is room for chaos and the goal is sometimes unclear – which fosters freedom and creativity. It is precisely this kind of informal organizational structure that can lead to renewal and acceleration in thinking and acting. Because democracy as we know it is currently stuck in ‘hard spaces,’ it is sometimes necessary to remove an issue from politics, give it space in a soft space, and then return it to politics.

A soft space can therefore offer an alternative when classic institutions get stuck, or in other words, when an institutional vacuum arises. The change is then no longer implemented ‘top-down’, but in often surprising coalitions between stakeholders. Governments are usually part of this, but no longer automatically have an initiating and steering role.

Adaptive Professionals

Hajer’s plea for soft spaces is further elaborated by Sclavi’s portrayal of professionals who operate around complex problems and in soft spaces. For democratic renewal, it is not only necessary for institutions to be adaptive but also for the professionals within those institutions. According to Sclavi, the professional must be a ‘reflective practitioner.’ This professional is capable of reflecting, learning, and revising working methods. This requires an attitude in which diversity is not seen as a problem but as an opportunity to learn about different perspectives. Power is not used to outperform others but as a means to increase collective knowledge. The conversation does not take the form of a discussion in which positions are defended, but the form of a dialogue in which concerns and needs are shared.

Outlook

Our democracy is being tested by contemporary complex problems. Fortunately, democratic renewal is also slowly gaining momentum. Currently, governments are experimenting with, for example, citizen panels and digital platforms to bring residents and administrators into contact with each other. The upcoming Environmental Act, which will place more emphasis on participation and co-creation, is also an example of innovative democracy.

However, there is still much to be gained, and we don't always have to reinvent the wheel ourselves. For some innovative democratic methods, we only need to look across the border. Sclavi, for example, refers to forms of participation such as ‘Debat Public’ (France), ‘Negotiated Rulemaking’ (USA), ‘XXI century town meetings’ (USA), ‘Participatory Budgeting’ (Brazil), and the international ‘Open Space Technology’.

The need for democratic renewal comes with uncertainty. It's a process of trial and error, and it raises numerous questions. We must do it together, and for that reason, it's important that cross-pollinations like The State of Conflict are organized, bringing together academics and professionals, thinkers and doers, and theory and experience. At WesselinkVanZijst, we are happy to be able to contribute to that.

For an atmospheric impression of The State of Conflict 2019, click here.

Senior consultant

Robin Schram