El modelo autonómico de democracia participativa (Model of participatory democracy in Spain's autonomous communities. New Statutes of Autonomy)

Resumen

In this era of institutional crisis and political disaffection, there is significant debate about the need to create democratic reform. With this in mind, some of Spain's Autonomous Communities have taken steps to institutionalise opportunities for citizens to participate in public decision-making processes. This is especially apparent in the newly adopted Statutes of Autonomy. In the Statutes, citizen participation is defined as a right, principle and basic objective of the Autonomous Community, for which laws must be developed by the legislating authority of that community. This paper will present a critical analysis of these legal standards and their potential for practical implementation, in order to investigate whether Autonomous Communities provide a better framework for participatory democracy