The Bertelsmann Foundation is running a series of programs on How to Fix Democracy. As Democracy depends upon people who care, believe and respect the rule of law which is the source of democracy, engaged citizens are a must. In this show, Digital Democracy and Citizen Engagement | Wietse Van Ransbeeck who is the Co-Founder and CEO of the CitizenLab, a Brussels-based company that works with governments to enable public participation in decision-making is interviewed by BF host Andrew Keen.
For so many who worry that without democracy, human rights will suffer, technology is a double edged sword. Technology’s negative impact on democracy has been highlighted by so many human rights activists because of how it has been used by governments and businesses worldwide. Van Ransbeeck’s perspective on the positive potential of digital democracy is a starting point for how to use technology as an empowering tool for democracy.
The focus of the video is citizenship and we need to start thinking about the context of citizenship in a global world much more seriously. Nation-states are an answer, maybe, to saving democracy. For that to happen, how digital tools are used in the context of digital democracy matters.