Democracy vs Technocracy
Democracy is seen as the rule of the people, for the people and by the people in Lincoln’s famous words. On the other hand, technocracy is seen as rule by unelected specialists and authorities in policy making.
Today, we see a rising conflict between the two. How?
- Earlier, we had central banks (Ex — the RBI in India) across many economies being under the uneasy influence of governments. But today, we are seeing greater autonomy being exerted by central banks. They are independently deciding monetary policy with little or no regard for concerns of elected members driven by ‘populist’ compulsions at time. So, even if people want a benevolent monetary policy so that they can borrow freely, the central banks are reluctant to budge
- The confrontation between democracy and technocracy was more direct in UK during ‘Brexit’. UK felt ‘suffocated’ by European Union’s decision-making and felt its sovereignty was being curbed. To decide matters, a public referendum was held. The popular will voted for an EU-free UK thereby, undermining the technocrats in Brussels
- In the USA, technocrats in agencies like Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are deciding the future of internet access through ‘net neutrality’ norms. Same can be said of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in India
- Similarly, in Switzerland, a proposal to build a mosque by the Muslim minority was rejected by the canton authorities elected by people but later, it was given the nod by the judiciary
- In India, we are witnessing increasing judicial activism wherein the Supreme Court has been intervening in policy matters thereby undermining the mandate vested in the executive by the people. For instance, the highway liquor ban in 2017 that had multiple repercussions on the society was imposed invoking Article 142 and in the name of safeguarding a citizen’s right to life. It was felt that such a move could have best been left for the elected leaders to decide. Similarly, mandating inter-linking of rivers with little regard for the complexities involved raised questions about judiciary’s obsession with policy matters
Yascha Mounk in his book ‘The People vs Democracy’ talks in detail about the tensions between the popular will and democratic institutions. This is one of the pressing issues we face in the 21st century. Are liberal democracies under threat? Was Francis Fukuyama who saw liberal democracy as the ultimate form of government too carried away with his prediction? Are democracies turning into technocracies?
These questions do not have simple answers. Only time may tell us. However, going by the current trends, we seem to be under quasi-democratic and quasi-technocratic rule.
