Oral democracy

Oral democracy is a talk-based form of government and political system in which citizens of a determined community have the opportunity to deliberate, through direct oral engagement and mass participation, in the civic and political matters of their community.^[1] Additionally, oral democracy represents a form of direct democracy, which has the purpose of empowering citizens by creating open spaces that promote an organized process of discussion, debate, and dialogue that aims to reach consensus and to impact policy decision-making.^[2] Political institutions based on this idea of direct democracy seek to decrease the possibilities of state capture from elites by holding them accountable, to encourage civic participation and collective action, and to improve the efficiency and adaptability of development interventions and public policy implementation.^[2]

Citizen's participation in this type of political system can be found in Indian village assemblies, which are ruled based on the principle of a democratic decentralized structure implemented by the political institute and cabinet of the village, also known as Gram Panchayat.^[1] The Gram Sabha is the most distinguished organ and general body of the Gram Panchayat, since it allows citizens to deliberate and decide on the implementation of public policies, local governance, development goals, accountability, and strategic planning of projects for the village.^[3][4]

The term oral democracy was originally presented by Vijayendra Rao and Paromita Sanyal in their 2019 book entitled Oral Democracy: Deliberation in Indian Village Assemblies. It is still considered a new and modern concept that requires further research and theoretical and practical analysis by the academic community.