Liquid Democracy: Potentials, Problems, and Perspectives

Summary

The first pirate party was founded in Sweden in 2006. Since then, many have followed the example, and the non-governmental organization Pirate Parties International (PPI) now counts members from 43 different countries. Pirate parties have gained seats in local, regional (e.g., Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein), and national (Iceland, Czech Republic) parliaments, as well as the European Parliament. These parties are mostly known for opposing Internet censorship and defending transparency, civil rights, and open content. However, they are also suggesting a model of collective decision-making that seeks to remedy democratic systems from within, namely liquid democracy, a model they are already applying for an intra-party decision-making.