Telosaes.it / Primo piano scalac

the collection TWO, our way to
celebrate the tenth anniversary
of our monthly publication
Primo Piano Scala c.

the collection ONE, our way
to celebrate the first five years
of our monthly publication
“Primo Piano Scala c”.

January 2014, Year VI, n. 1

Alberto Alemanno

Lobbying for the people. Oxymoron or common sense?

Telos: In Europe we are facing a paradox: the interest of the citizens in politics is reviving - also thanks to the economic downturn - but the demand for participation seems to be channeled into an uprising against politics. Is this the signal of an irreversible crisis, or rather a signal of hope for our democracies?

Alberto Alemanno: Today, the intellectual pendulum is swinging back to the belief that State action is needed to regulate human affairs. As the only institution standing between individuals and non-State actors, such as corporations and banks, the State - in the aftermath of one of the largest failures of the free market - is indeed poised to prompt citizens’ interest and possibly regain some legitimacy in their eyes ... more

Editorial

Representative democracy or participative democracy? The question is misleading if posed in such strict alternative terms: a representative system implies the existence of public opinion. But can a person say he is free simply because he has helped elect an Assembly which doesn’t consult him before regulating his rights and obligations? ... more