Gehört Werden

English summary: Rarely have citizens been as sceptical of politics and state institutions as they are today. Many people think politicians in particular are capable of doing anything & and they don=t trust them an inch. They regard the state as being in the hands of corporate lobbyists and elites, and believe their own interests are never taken into account. At the same time, there have probably never been so many opportunities available for people to participate in political...
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English summary: Rarely have citizens been as sceptical of politics and state institutions as they are today. Many people think politicians in particular are capable of doing anything & and they don=t trust them an inch. They regard the state as being in the hands of corporate lobbyists and elites, and believe their own interests are never taken into account. At the same time, there have probably never been so many opportunities available for people to participate in political processes. In Getting a Hearing, contributors from academia and practical work explore the causes of this contradictory development and describe the forms of participation available, ranging from local authorities to the level of the European Union. Do these serve only as a fig leaf to back up political and bureaucratic activity, or do they create genuine participation and thus open up opportunities to close the gap between citizens and the state, at least to some extent? German description: Selten wohl standen BurgerInnen Politik und staatlichen Institutionen so skeptisch gegenuber wie heute. Insbesondere PolitikerInnen trauen viele alles zu, aber nicht uber den Weg. Den Staat sehen sie in der Hand von WirtschaftslobbyistInnen und Eliten, ihre eigentlichen Interessen wurden nicht berucksichtigt. Zugleich gab es wahrscheinlich noch nie so viele Angebote, sich an politischen Prozessen zu beteiligen. In "Gehort werden" gehen BeitragerInnen aus Wissenschaft und Praxis den Ursachen dieser widerspruchlichen Entwicklung nach und stellen Beteiligungsformen vor, von den Kommunen bis in die Europaische Union. Dienen diese nur der formalen Absicherung von politischem und burokratischem Handeln oder schaffen sie echte Teilhabe und eroffnen damit die Chance, die Kluft zwischen BurgerInnen und Staat zumindest etwas zu schliessen?