Democratising competition: markets, politics, and the crisis of democracy

Competition is a fundamental aspect of markets and party politics in democratic capitalist societies. Yet, its relationship to democracy has received little attention in political philosophy and democratic theory. In this PhD thesis, I make the case for the need to rethink competition as a concept of democratic theory – for diagnosing contemporary crises of democracy as well as for analysing and reimagining democratic practices and institutions. Developing this concept, I argue, requires addressing competition both as a political and socio-economic phenomenon, pushing back against the dominance of the market metaphor, and questioning the dichotomy of competition and cooperation. I do this in two parts: In Part I, I establish the de-democratising potentials of economic competition by examining the role of competition in neoliberal theory and practice. I show that neoliberal competition erodes the ‘social conditions of democracy’ by intensifying and legitimating inequality, removing its rules from democratic control, and promoting a generalised ethos of individual competitiveness. I contend that political democracy cannot rely on competition alone, but requires sufficiently cooperative, yet politicised social relations. Part II provides an account of the competitive nature of political democracy as presented in normative democratic theory. I begin with an analysis of party competition and a critique of the Schumpeterian analogy to market competition. Looking beyond party competition, I suggest that competitive practices – in form of a ‘contest of arguments' – are an integral part of deliberative-epistemic theories of democracy. Furthermore, I suggest that the agonistic notion of democratic politics as a ‘tamed conflict’ is best understood as a democratic competition within and over the ‘rules of the game.’ I conclude the thesis by arguing that competition must be understood as a practice that incorporates moments of cooperation and remains open to the contestation of its own rules.