Legislating democracy through education: rethinking legislative models for participatory citizenship in Sweden

This article examines the relationship between democracy, education, and legislation from the perspective of legislative studies, asking not only what democratic education should seek to achieve, but also how educational regulation should be designed to support a participatory conception of demo, in which legislatures establish the general normative framework while specialised public authorities develop and adapt regulatory solutions. Drawing on the Swedish experience, the article argues that education constitutes a policy field characterised by continuous pedagogical, technological, and social change, making the administrative legislative model better suited to reconcile democratic legitimacy with regulatory flexibility and professional expertise. More generally, the article suggests that debates on democratic education should extend beyond questions concerning curricular content or school organisation to encompass the prior constitutional question of which institutional actors are best positioned to translate democratic ideals into effective regulatory arrangements. In this respect, legislative policy becomes an essential component of democratic constitutionalism and of the long-term resilience of participatory democracy.