ISCD 2012 - The 2012 International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy

The consequences of the recent financial crisis have reinforced the notion that the proceeds of growth do not distribute equally across all sectors of society and that economic growth on its own is not sufficient to shelter the most vulnerable groups of society from the vagaries of economic change. Subsequent action such as the Occupy Wall Street movement demonstrate a widespread dissatisfaction with sustained economic inequality and add urgency to the need to address inequality. It is arguable that the social contract is starting to unravel in many countries; there are deep-rooted social imbalances which need to be addressed if confidence is to be restored.
However, the problem is not one simply of the divide between the rich and the poor. Economic inequality is encouraged by political inequality and inequality of opportunity, both at the national and supranational level. The wealthy and powerful have greater access to politics and media and so are often in a position to communicate their views and interests more effectively than others; lobbying and campaign contributions can have a major impact on politics.
Increasingly, financial crises today are characterised by economic problems crossing the boundaries of nation states. Moreover, in today’s globalised world decisions made by politicians in one state can have serious effects for citizens of another state, even though the latter have no role in influencing the decisions in question. In other words, the territorial boundaries that specify who may participate in a democratic process are not necessarily equivalent to the populations affected. If the democratic ideal is maximum citizen participation, then there is reason to argue for a democratic deficit and thus political inequality at both the national and supranational level.