Abstract
We analyse the proposals put forward by Bruno Frey in a recent paper on extending democracy. On the whole we do not agree with Professor Frey on these proposals. Although, we do this with some hesitation in light of the enormous contribution he has made to the discipline of economics over several decades. Our comments are focused on two issues. Firstly the impact such extensions would have on participation rates, i.e. the probability of an individual voting. Secondly, we argue that perceived dissatisfaction with the state of democracy is to a large extent a consequence of economic developments following the global financial and economic crisis of the last decade. The solution is not so much to focus on democracy, but to solve the economic problems.
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Notes
Other factors may negate this effect.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Manfred Holler for his encouragement in preparing this contribution and also for his very helpful comments on a first draft. He is not responsible for any remaining errors and omissions.
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Orviska, M. A Different Perspective on Current Problems: Comment on “Proposals for a Democracy of the Future” by Bruno Frey. Homo Oecon 35, 111–116 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41412-018-0064-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41412-018-0064-9