Governance and inclusive democracy

This paper offers a conceptual construction of governance and democracy based on ideas of complexity (Ashby, 1964) and viability (Beer, 1979), which is illustrated with reference to a historic review of the practice of democracy in Colombia. The historic roots of democracy, particularly the legacies of the Greek polis and the French and American revolutions, to some degree have conditioned our thinking and constrained our appreciation of democracy. There is a need for a critical review of these legacies today and this is one of the debates among political scientists and philosophers (Sartori, 1993; Zolo, 2007; Hardt y Negri, 2.000; Dahl, 1989; Huntington, 1989; Mouffe, 2009; Mulgan, 2007). We reflect upon the implications of seeing a country as a viable system that needs effective strategies to manage complexity in turbulent internal and external environments that constantly challenges its stability. We argue for an inclusive strategy that gives to all people the chance to influence their destinies. At a general level key questions we deal with are: what does governance mean? How is it possible for countries large and small to be inclusive? How is it possible to develop effective local-global relationships? How is it possible to reduce power imbalances that inhibit and restrict the effective participation of its citizens? And, in a world experiencing the most extraordinary technological developments, what are possible roles of information and communication technologies to advance towards more effective forms of governance and democracy? We will deal with these questions with reference to Colombia from 1958 to these days.