Australian Citizens' Parliament

Communitarians are those who believe that contemporary democracies need to be re-balanced to highlight the role of the community, rather than individuals. For it is in communities that individuals develop and learn how to be good citizens, and to trust each other, and trust in institutions.

Well-functioning democracies are, therefore, those with strong and well-developed communities.

Communitarians can be associated with many different places on the political spectrum, from conservative to democratic socialist. They oppose the stress of economic rationalism on competition, and the focus on the rights of individuals that proponents of a bill of rights generally hold. Communitarians think rights should be strongly balanced by responsibilities.

Communitarians are also associated with the idea of social capital, which is found in people's social linkages and networks. In the United States, the idea of social capital is associated with Robert Putnam, whose book Bowling Alone charts the decline of social capital since the 1950s. (The book's title comes from statistics that show more people are bowling as time goes on, but fewer of them are doing it in clubs and leagues.)

Putnam blames loss of social capital on the rise of television (which keeps people at home rather than participating in social activities), feminism (which means women work in paid employment rather than voluntary community activities), and suburban sprawl, which makes people live in places where they do not interact with their neighbours. Similar trends can be seen in Australia.

Case for:

Communitarians believe that a healthy democracy requires a healthy community in which people want to work for the common good, and that for democracy to be strengthened and work better, communities need to be strengthened.

Governments might do this by promoting and subsidising:

• associations and groups that people can join;
• partnerships between government departments, companies, and community associations for the delivery of services; and
• the provision of social welfare so that individuals have the income security to be active members of their community.

Communitarians also want to strengthen families, make sure that every citizen is well-educated, promote volunteering and provide education in values.

Case against:

Critics say that communitarians are willing to restrict the rights of individuals for the sake of community benefits - and can point to societies such as Singapore where this seems to be the case. There is, then, a danger that an over-emphasis on the community may lead to authoritarianism that represses individuals. Critics also say it is often not clear how governments can actually promote social capital and the participation of individuals in social networks - that is something people have to want to do for themselves, rather than through government coercion.

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