Democracy in danger: AK-Wien discusses participation and participation!

Democracy in danger: AK-Wien discusses participation and participation!

Wien, Österreich - On May 27, 2025, the 183rd General Assembly of the Workers' Chamber of Vienna took place, which focused on the topic of democracy. Under the title "Democracy: it does not give it - and it is pressed everywhere!" the need for participation was discussed in a panel discussion. The occasion of the event was not only the 80th anniversary of the end of the fascism and the re-establishment of the workers' chambers, but also the award of Vienna as a democracy capital 2025. Moderated by Jenny Posch, Pia Gsaller from ÖBB, Alexander Pollak from SOS Mithensch and Florian Wenninger from the Institute for Historical Social Research took part in the event.

unity prevailed that democracy had to be improved on several levels. Gsaller emphasized the role of the unions and the need to involve young people in co -determination. Wenninger referred to the connex between wage growth and turnout, whereby falling turnout can be interpreted as a alarm sign for dissatisfaction with the political system. At the same time, Pollak criticized the imbalance in the representative representative and drawn attention to the need to reform citizenship law.

democracy as an "eternal project"

AK President Renate Anderl focused on the dangers of democracy due to increasing assets and the influence of politics. She spoke out for operational democracy and participation and described democracy as an "eternal project". Furthermore, she addressed the current budget situation and its effects on the population, whereby it highlighted positive approaches such as measures to strengthen the labor market, including a qualification offensive and the 55plus campaign. Anderl also called for the introduction of millionaire and inheritance taxes.

The general assembly was not only a room for theoretical discussions, but also a practical place of citizen participation. The concept of citizen participation itself is complex and includes both conventional and unconventional forms. According to the State Center for Political Education Baden-Württemberg, citizen participation, for example, includes elections and votes that are legally binding, as well as dialogue procedures and demonstrations that arise from civil society. This variety of forms of participation reflects the change in civil society and in the political decision -making process, which has been observed in western societies since the 1950s.

Change of citizen participation

Change in citizen participation is both the result of social and individual changes. In the 1960s and 1970s, the understanding of values ​​from compulsory and acceptance values ​​to values ​​of self-development and participation shifted. Despite unrestricted support for democracy as a form of government - about 80 % of the population - satisfaction with the results of democracy decreases. Trust in political institutions such as politicians and parties is significantly declining, which is shown in a pluralized society in which individual decisions are becoming more important.

The discussion rounds of the general assembly not only illustrate the current challenges that democracy faces, but also created a framework to develop community and innovative solutions in order to actively strengthen and expand democracy.

The interesting discussion can be checked online, which represents a further step towards transparency and citizen participation. For a more comprehensive examination of the topic of citizen participation, it is worth taking a look at the analyzes of the changes in co -determination.

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