Democracy by Design: Perspectives for Digitally Assisted, Participatory Upgrades of Society

Dirk Helbing; Sachit Mahajan; Regula Hänggli Fricker; Andrea Musso; Carina I. Hausladen; Cesare Carissimo; Dino Carpentras; Elisabeth Stockinger; Javier Argota Sanchez-Vaquerizo; Joshua C. Yang

Democracy by Design: Perspectives for Digitally Assisted, Participatory Upgrades of Society

Dirk Helbing, Sachit Mahajan, Regula Hänggli Fricker, Andrea Musso, Carina I. Hausladen, Cesare Carissimo, Dino Carpentras, Elisabeth Stockinger, Javier Argota Sanchez-Vaquerizo, Joshua C. Yang, and others

Journal of Computational Science · 2023

Abstract

An interdisciplinary perspective on digital participation, algorithmic fairness, and societal upgrades through technology-enabled democratic systems.

Core Contribution

Democracy by Design frames democratic innovation as a design problem for institutions, technologies, and participatory systems. Rather than treating digital participation as a simple online interface, it argues for digitally assisted democratic upgrades that combine participation, fairness, transparency, and collective intelligence.

Research Use

The paper provides conceptual grounding for civic technology, participatory budgeting, platform governance, and algorithmic support for democratic decision making. It is useful as a broad reference for why democratic systems need both technical and institutional design.