Colloquio sulla Democrazia. Intervista al Prof. Gianfranco Pasquino (Bologna, 9 dicembre 2018)

The interview with Professor Gianfranco Pasquino critically investigates the concept of democracy and also the problem of how to achieve it concretely in the political practice. Starting from the thought of Norberto Bobbio and especially of Giovanni Sartori, Pasquino highlights the necessary distinction between democracy as an ideal model and democracies as really existing political systems. In this sense, the link between democratic theory and liberal constitutionalism is emphasized and the concepts of “participatory”, “pluralist” or “judicial” democracy (Richterstaat) are distinguished. Problems of functioning (as well as many hypotheses of solution) of real democracies are further highlighted. In the end, democracies do not appear to be in crisis at all, although they might be at risk of a progressive “erosion”.