An implementable solution for the crisis of democracy. A suggestion to solve our democratic representation crisis. A sketch of a proxy party that gives the power of decision to its party members. Grassroot democratic and efficient with safeguarded information and democratic processes. Decentralized politics. https://upgradingdemocracy.com/

1. Politics doesn‘t represent People
How can we add more participation
even when the established political parties resist?
And should we?
We have a Representation Crisis
And who should do it?
and achieve a real say

2. Politics doesn’t represent the majority of the people
As US and German studies* have shown
politics favors the will of the upper class,
and at best ignores the middle and lower class
therefore more than 80% of its constituents.
US study “Affluence and Influence” from the Princeton University, 2012
German study “Systematic Distorted Decisions?” from University of Osnabrück, 2016 and its infamous history of changes
We have a Representation Crisis

3. People are individuals
How to conveniently 'overlook' the will of the people?
Easy: 'Pretend to know' what they want and ignore their input.
• Ask them about 20 topics/ decide on 200
• Give them a vote every 4th year but give them no real choice
• Produce apathy, interpret disillusioned silence as approval
• Organize and plan via a centralized system
with minimal input from the people affected
• Repeat every 4 years

4. Politicians are not aligned with voters
Incentives Get re-elected, forever
Industry job as lobbyist
Money from speaking
engagements etc.
Other favors
Pressure
vote with party or
get delisted
receive enough
election funding
time pressure not being
able to read/ understand
everything voted upon

5. Incumbent Parties stack the game
If you let parties decide “on their own behalf” they tend to
decide “in their favor”:
• Increased payments to fund political parties in power and
representatives
• Additional money for their foundations etc.
• Usage of tax paid manpower for party business
• Trade government contracts/ legislation for favors
… decreasing the chances for new political parties.

6. Incumbent Parties reduce control
If you let parties decide “on their checks & balances” they
tend to reduce the effectiveness of these institutions:
• Give posts to those that agree with them
• Weaken rules of oversight to extend their options

7. Fears of the Critics of direct referendums
Rash decisions about complicated topics
Uninformed voters choose the wrong solution as they have
no time to educate themselves on the topic.
Ø Enable informed decisions instead of gut feeling
- balanced information
- set and safeguard processes
Voters vote themselves money
Ø They didn’t in 2017 in a Swiss people’s initiative on
Universal Basic Income

8. Fears of the Critics of direct referendums
Take over by big spenders
Ø According to a 1999 study from professor Elizabeth
Gerber this didn’t happen in the US:
"Overall, there are no indications that financially strong circles have been able
to manipulate the people in such a way that they managed to pass laws whose
results were rejected by the majority of the people. Business associations
therefore usually prefer lobbying in parliaments. Here the influence is more
effective, cheaper and more independent of public opinion."

9. Fears of the Critics of direct referendums
The fear of mob rule
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."
Benjamin Franklin
You have to set rules
Ø Absolute limits to the rights of intervention of the state
Ø Limitation of the sphere of influence of the state
Ø Avoid favoring or discriminating against groups
Ø A working legal system

10. Participatory knowledge based Politics
with safeguarded information processes and democratic processes
Information
Knowledge
Safeguarded
Processes
Parliament
Voters

11. If 5% of the party
members vote to take
the topic to the official
deliberation process
Safeguarded Processes
• 6 page input paper
• Fact gathering first,
discussion later
1:1
Y
N
Liquid Democracy and
5% takeover vote
Safeguarded Information
& Democratic Processes
1:1 Transfer to Parliament
e.g.: If 80% of the members
vote YES and 20% NO, then
8 from 10 representatives
vote with YES and 2 with NO.
The Proxy Party in a Nutshell: Direct decision power for all party members if requested

12. Focus on Democracy & Transparency
Fix Democracy First, extend with most pressing problems
that can be moved, focus on quality and consensus
Quality of preparations
• Manpower for
- content preparation
- fact checking
- discussion facilitation
• Expert input
Investment by voters
• interest in topics
• quality proposal of topic
• sense of change
• trust
• ease of educating
yourself about topic
Efficiency
no. of high quality grassroot votes that can be carried out
Effective Systems & Processes
• safeguard democratic
and info processes
• easy to use
• secure

13. Put a safeguard to processes
Safeguarding the information processes
• Facts (even the painful)
• Background and mechanisms behind the topic
• Pros and Cons and well founded recommendation
Safeguarding the democratic processes
• Define and follow a topic input and pickup process
• Define and follow rules to discuss and widen topic
• Define necessary topic maturity conditions for voting

14. And the results will be better
Prof. Jon Dryzek: “The most obvious finding is that, given the opportunity,
ordinary citizens can make good deliberators. Moreover, issue complexity is no
barrier to the development and exercise of that competence.”
Prof. James Fishkin “The public is very smart if you give it a chance. If people
think their voice actually matters, they’ll do the hard work, really study . . ., ask
the experts smart questions and then make tough decisions. When they hear the
experts disagreeing, they’re forced to think for themselves. About 70% change
their minds in the process.” “Citizens can become better informed and master the
most complex issues of state government if they are given the chance.”
Comprehensive empirical study on Citizen Deliberation by Prof. John Dryzek, Political Sciences, Australian National University
Two decades of citizen panels run by Prof. James Fishkin, Political Science and Communication, Stanford University
Both mentioned in Manuel Arriagna, “Rebooting Democracy: A Citizen’s Guide to Reinventing Politics”

15. Who is likely to do it?
• An incumbent political party that is close to the ideals
and has nothing to loose
• A newly founded political party that needs an extra
boost of trust to break the 5% hurdle
• Multiple newly founded political parties
- agree to come together to upgrade democracy
- jointly discuss about solutions on the basis of grassroot
democracy with secured information processes and
democratic processes
• A new political party to be founded

16. we could insist toWhat if
take the decision in our own hands
before professional politicians
screw it up again?

17. Learn more about the idea of the Proxy Party and why
single direct candidates are currently not the best solution:
Publish date: 2019-12-03
You can preorder the ebook at Amazon
for the reduced pre-order price of $2.99.
The regular post launch price will be $5.99.
If you are a book reviewer please send me a mail to
review (at) upgradingdemocracy.com to receive your ACR.