Expert advocacy for the marginalised: how and why democratic mediation matters to deepening democracy in the global South
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Date
2011
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Institute of Development Studies
Abstract
Summary: The paper argues that the practice of democratic mediation is an increasingly
common, yet under-researched, component of engagements between citizens
and public authorities across the globe. While the actors who mediate (and
their tactics) are diverse and are not necessarily of the marginalised group,
they share a commitment to overcoming representational, knowledge or
ideological deficits in decision-making for the marginalised group. While the
‘speaking for’ nature of democratic mediation clearly opens up critical
legitimacy problems, the practice of democratic mediation appears to be
remarkably common, and even effective.
The paper demonstrates this by surveying at least three kinds of democratic
mediation observed across a large number of cases. First is ‘mediation as
professional advocacy’. The mediator in these cases is more an ‘interested
intermediary’ in contentious policy politics. In a context of skewed powerrelations
where certain groups remain systematically marginalised, not least
through knowledge and representational deficits, a degree of advocacy is
required to get more egalitarian policy dialogue.
Second is ‘mediation as representational entrepreneurship’. This refers to
engagements between citizens and forms of public authority that stretch from
the local to the global level. In more ‘global-local’ mobilisations, mediators are
often experts, professionals, and international NGOs. In more ‘local – global’
movements, the mediators are ‘hybrid activists’ deeply rooted in the local
identities and associations. However, in either case the actor is distinguished
by the taking of initiative to include the voices of the marginalised in a domain
of power-relations which is multi-level.
Lastly, ‘mediation as citizenship development’ refers to forms of activism
typically associated with community and capacity development, and usually
involves limited advocacy by civil society organisations (CSOs). Hence there
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IDS WORKING PAPER 364
may be little by way of explicit mediation in local governance decision-making
in these cases, although the empowerment of communities has a demonstrable
and mostly positive impact on local governance.
Description
Keywords
Advocacy, Democratisation, Participation, Citizenship, Mediation, Representation
Citation
Piper, L. & von Lieres, B. 2011. Expert Advocacy for the Marginalised: How and Why Democratic Mediation Matters to Deepening Democracy in the Global South. IDS Working Paper 364