Yanina Welp stresses the importance of promoting mechanisms that improve the conditions for the formation of public opinion



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## Yanina Welp stresses the importance of promoting mechanisms that improve the conditions for the formation of public opinion

16/04/2019 |
SCP

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* [![ democracia-hoy _S9B1555in](/com/noticies/2019/4/1q/democracia-hoy/_S9B1555in.jpg)](#)

Yanina Welp, researcher at the University of Zurich, has tackled the role of participation in current democracy at the Universitat Jaume I as part of the series of lectures entitled "Democracy today: rethinking politics in turbulent times".

Firstly, Welp has raised the question of whether citizens are prepared to make complex decisions. Thus, the researcher has emphasised that mechanisms are needed to regulate and guarantee the best conditions for the formation of public opinion, with complete information.

In this sense, she has explained how discussion has been generated in the media about decision-making by citizens, especially from cases such as the Brexit or the plebiscite for peace in Colombia. "It is not that citizens are not prepared, what these exercises demonstrate is that elites are not prepared to manage certain processes," she said. Thus, she has pointed out that in experiences such as Colombia's there is an instrumental role for participation, neither the frameworks nor the mechanisms are much evaluated, and there has been no appeal to participation as a value.

As a second point, the researcher has reflected on whether a democracy without parties is possible. On this issue, Welp has pointed out that parties or intermediaries fulfil "a very important function and should not be underestimated" and has explained the difficulties of functioning in the cases of parties with horizontal structures. "What is needed is to strengthen the control and capacity of interference of the citizenry to find a balance," she said.

Welp has also addressed the positive aspects and risks of some of the participation mechanisms that are being carried out such as participatory budgets, the agenda initiative or the draw as a process for selecting representatives. "I believe that certain mechanisms such as the mandatory referendum to ratify constitutional reforms, the possibility of repealing laws and presenting constitutional reforms empower citizens and reinforce prior communication by the system, since they know that these mechanisms can be activated," she said. Thus, Welp has pointed out that in the case of direct democracy the impact on the system of participation mechanisms of this type is quite positive, despite the fact that it is necessary to generate more reinforcement in the generation of public opinion.

[Photographs](https://www.uji.es/com/fotonoticies/arxiu/2019/04/yanina-welp/)

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