Who Decides who Gets to Decide?

In a simplified sense, democracy is about "rule by the people." But who are "the people"? Who decides who they are? And what, exactly, should they "rule" over? Watch Gustaf Arrhenius’s TEDx talk on what in democratic theory is called "the boundary problem".

Right from the start, certain groups are excluded. In Sweden, and most other countries this means everyone under 18. In many elections, others are shut out from influence because they are not citizens. Furthermore, there are examples of local referendums—such as the one on the Stockholm congestion tax—where only residents of Stockholm were allowed to vote, even though many living just outside the area were perhaps the ones most affected.

This is one of the examples cited by Gustaf Arrhenius, Professor of Practical Philosophy and Director of the Institute for Futures Studies, in his TEDx talk, Who Decides Who Gets to Decide?

The Boundary Problem

The question "who should have democratic influence over what?" is referred to in political philosophy as the boundary problem. Gustaf Arrhenius has dedicated a large portion of his academic career to studying this issue and determining which solutions are the most reasonable.

He advocates for a concept known as the all-affected principle:

- It simply means that people who are affected by a decision should have power over it, and the more they are affected, the more power they should have. But it’s about being affected in a relevant way, so we also need to have an understanding of what it means to be relevantly affected, says Gustaf Arrhenius.

Watch his TEDx talk where he explains the principle and how it could evolve our democracies.