Experience and Radical Democracy

The economic crisis within the European Union also involves a crisis of democracy. On the one side the austerity-politics of the Troika limits the influence of democratic procedures. On the other side new forms of social protests rise in which social actors struggle for an extension of the democratic public： the resistance against evictions the self-organization of medical care, the occupation of public places etc. realized new forms of social cooperation, discussion and decision-making processes. On this background a reference to John Deweys theory of the democratic public seems to be helpful to reconstruct and to orient these conflicts and the claims raised in them. According to Dewey the normative criteria which we use if we evaluate actions or common institutions are a part of the social process and insofar a process themselves. These criteria have to be reflected and reformulated in new situations in which new social problems and conflicts occur. The democratic public is in this conception the realm in which a common elucidation of problematic social consequences of the existing institutions takes place and in which proposals for the overcoming of these consequences are formulated. Therefore it reconstructs the central norms embedded within the social institutions, it shows how collective actions guided by these norms leads to problematic social consequences. This is then the background for a critical reflection on, and a reformulation of the guiding norms of these institutions. To realize such a form of collective self-determination the democratic public can not be reduced to a separate political sphere, rather it has to be extended to all forms of social cooperation especially the economy.

Upstream-downstream linkages of hydrological processes in the Himalayan region

Understanding the upstream-downstream linkages in hydrological processes is essential for water resources planning in river basins.Although there are many studies of individual aspects of these processes in the Himalayan region,studies along the length of the basins are limited.This study summarizes the present state of knowledge about linkages in hydrological processes between upstream and downstream areas of river basins in the Himalayan region based on a literature review.The paper studies the linkages between the changes in the physical environment of upstream areas(land use,snow storage,and soil erosion)and of climate change on the downstream water availability,flood and dry season flow,and erosion and sedimentation.It is argued that these linkages are complex due to the extreme altitudinal range associated with the young and fragile geology,extreme seasonal and spatial variation in rainfall,and diversity of anthropogenic processes.Based on the findings,the paper concludes that integrated systems analysis is required to understand the holistic complexity of upstream-downstream linkages of hydrological processes in the river basin context.The integrated land and water resources management(ILWRM)approach can be instrumental in developing adaptive solutions to problems and can also enable stakeholders of upstream and downstream areas with various interests and needs to work together for the better utilization and management of land and water resources.As a part of this,the specific circumstances of the upstream communities,who live in fragile and inaccessible mountain areas with limited resource opportunities,should be taken into account so that incentive mechanisms can be established to encourage and acknowledge their contribution.