(This is an archived extract from the book Patterns of Power: Edition 2)
In local politics, people have different political concerns from the national political arena and, in Europe, there is a European Parliament and wider considerations are appropriate. In democratic systems, individuals can vote at different levels of subsidiarity. In any system they can try to exert influence, without personal contact, through the media and the Internet.
When considering their political attitudes, they have to choose an appropriate balance between their own needs and those of other people at each level of subsidiarity. With the increased impact of globalisation since the 1980s, people need a greater awareness of the multi-level nature of their citizenship – as explored by Bhikhu Parekh, for example, in his book A New Politics of Identity.[1]
© PatternsofPower.org, 2014
[1] A review of Bhikhu Parekh’s new book A New Politics of Identity was available in May 2014 at http://www.dcu.ie/imrstr/volume_4_issue_1/Vol_4_Issue_1_Philip%20Watt.doc; it referred to his multi-layer vision:
“Parekh contends that we should seek to strive for a shared and inclusive sense of belonging at a community and national level and by doing so we can also develop a globally orientated citizenship.”