Professor Graham Smith, Professor of Politics at the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD) in the School of Social Sciences, was invited to launch his new book ‘Democracy in the Pandemic’ at an event hosted by the newly formed Democracy Network at Newspeak House on 10 March.
A lively audience of democracy activists and practitioners came together at the inaugural Democracy Network event to help launch the new book edited by Professor Smith and colleagues from the participation charity Involve. Introducing the book at the event, Professor Smith explained how it all started with a blog series set up by CSD and Involve in the early days of the pandemic.
He said: “The series aimed to provide a platform to activists, practitioners, policymakers, researchers and writers to make visible the critical role of participation and deliberation during the pandemic. When we realised the power of the diverse stories, the idea of bringing them together in a book emerged.”
Professor Smith was joined by two of the book’s contributors who inspired the audience with stories of their work. Paula Harriott, Head of Prisoner Engagement at the Prison Reform Trust, spoke about the too often unrealised potential for prisoners to be involved in the governance of their incarcerated lives. Her talk was followed by Matt Leach, Chief Executive of Local Trust, who spoke about the power of communities in the face of the pandemic and the critical role that investment in community infrastructure plays in responding to crises. Tim Hughes, former Director of Involve and co-editor of the book, drew the launch to a close summarising the book’s call to action.
‘Democracy in a Pandemic: Participation in Response to Crisis’, published Open Access with University of Westminster Press, draws together diverse stories from the pandemic. The varied contributions make the case for enhanced engagement during and beyond emergency contexts, exposing the weakness of the assumption that only a centralised, top-down response to crises is possible. The pandemic reinforced and created new inequalities. The combination of mutual aid and listening to and working with vulnerable social groups leads to more inclusive outcomes.
Talking at the launch event, Professor Smith said: “The argument of this book is that in the face of an emergency, centralising attitudes and policy that overly concentrate power are misguided. Participation and deliberation are not just possible. They are valuable, perhaps even indispensable. The pandemic can tell us many things. But for us – and the contributors to this volume – it tells us that participation and deliberation are vital ingredients of a thriving democratic society.”
Download the free Open Access digital editions of ‘Democracy in a Pandemic’ on the University of Westminster Press website.
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