The evening was introduced by the Mayor of the city of Geneva,, Christina Kitsoswho underlined the Crisis multiplicity Who touch the planet: pandemic, geopolitical instability, climate crisis, digital revolution with the appearance of artificial intelligence and link crisis.
The importance of local policies
“The crises and the transitions we witness can lead to their wake anxiety, anger, withdrawal and palpable forms of resentment, which result in the rise of populist parties,” noted the mayor. It also underlined “the effectiveness of local policies”, which “strengthen the power to act of citizens, and contribute to restoring confidence”.
Pierre Rosanvallon had the opportunity to unroll the analysis he presents in his latest book, “Invisible institutions”published in Editions du Seuil In October 2024. According to him, “populism is right on one point: people’s life cannot simply be defined by statistical categories”. It must be understood from the inside: “Today, social justice is defined by what individuals consider to be personally just. It is decisive to understand people’s perceptions ”.
Invisible institutions: confidence, legitimacy, authority
While the populism relies on resentment in a negative way, determining an enemy to fight, it is possible according to Pierre Rosanvallon to counter it by proximity policies which take into account the expectations of individuals. “Democracy is a regime in which everyone can feel that it is important,” says the historian. It offers three axes around which local policies can be articulated: Confidence, legitimacy and authoritythe latter being understood as a moral force of orientation distinct from power. These three axes constitute the “invisible institutions”.
Although they do not allow themselves to be apprehended by figures, invisible institutions There are nonetheless realities that deeply structure societies and produce cohesion. They make it possible to build and develop social ties and are factors of integration, cooperation and regulation. And Pierre Rosanvallon to conclude: “We must reduce the distance from individuals by sensitive proximity and be interested in the dead angles of social policies that are invisible institutions.”
After Christiane Taubira,, Boris Cyrulnik And Cynthia Fleurythe public had the chance to discover and/or deepen the thought of Pierre Rosanvallon on the occasion of this fourth event of the series of conferences “A city in transitions”organized by the Department of Social Cohesion and Solidarity.
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