The methods cover national, regional, and local levels of democracy. The database is maintained by the German organization Democracy International, which works to disseminate information, share knowledge, and foster collaboration to promote direct democracy across the globe.
Also read: How the online method database works
Robust methods for direct democracy are essential for representativeness, quality, comparability, and credibility. A similarly comprehensive method overview also exists for coparticipation under the Planning and Building Act, many of which are suitable for direct democracy.
In Norway, we like to think of ourselves as a world-leading democracy, well supported by the Democracy Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The only one of the 2,000 methods listed in the Direct Democracy Navigator from this supposedly leading democracy is the citizen initiative. For the democracy of the United States, which many Norwegian politicians express concern about, there are hundreds of documented methods of direct democracy.
The effectiveness of the citizen initiative is an important topic. Many citizen proposals submitted through MinSak are rejected along the way and never processed, even though the proposers are entitled to it under the Local Government Act. In addition, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development has ensured that signatures through MinSak cannot be anonymous, meaning individuals may hesitate or be confronted about their support in their local communities.
Also read: Major democratic flaws could bring down the EU
To succeed with direct democracy, it is not only necessary to have a democratic mindset—it is also essential to establish sound methods for direct democracy, just as there are for implementing representative governance in practice.
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