Stealth Democracy? Searching for a Democratic Middle-Ground

Abstract

In this paper, we present a reflection on the need for an in-between, low-threshold type of democracy for involving the so-called "silent majority" of citizens. Based on our findings from various cases, we find indications that this type of system can contribute to what we call stealth or "implicit democracy", i.e., citizen feedback on particular issues raised by politicians. In a recent study, both politicians and participating citizens report that they were happy with the pilot results and would like to continue using the system. The second round of testing, with an extended version of the system, is planned for 2020/21.