Democratic Participation as Human Work

When paid labor is eroded by automation, the civic practice of participating in public speech and deliberation becomes a primary site of human meaningful activity and social repair. Framing civic participation as a form of 'work' reframes policy debates about unemployment, leisure, and universal benefits into questions about preserving the conditions for collective agency. — If policymakers treat participation as valuable social labour, they would need to redesign institutions (education, media, civic infrastructure) and social supports to sustain democratic competence in an automated economy.