Citizenship and Contemporary Direct Democracy


Book Description

Offers a comparative study of the origins, performance, and reform of contemporary mechanisms of direct democracy.




Rhetorical Citizenship and Public Deliberation


Book Description

Citizenship has long been a central topic among educators, philosophers, and political theorists. Using the phrase “rhetorical citizenship” as a unifying perspective, Rhetorical Citizenship and Public Deliberation aims to develop an understanding of citizenship as a discursive phenomenon, arguing that discourse is not prefatory to real action but in many ways constitutive of civic engagement. To accomplish this, the book brings together, in a cross-disciplinary effort, contributions by scholars in fields that rarely intersect. For the most part, discussions of citizenship have focused on aspects that are central to the “liberal” tradition of social thought—that is, questions of the freedoms and rights of citizens and groups. This collection gives voice to a “republican” conception of citizenship. Seeing participation and debate as central to being a citizen, this tradition looks back to the Greek city-states and republican Rome. Citizenship, in this sense of the word, is rhetorical citizenship. Rhetoric is thus at the core of being a citizen. Aside from the editors, the contributors are John Adams, Paula Cossart, Jonas Gabrielsen, Jette Barnholdt Hansen, Kasper Møller Hansen, Sine Nørholm Just, Ildikó Kaposi, William Keith, Bart van Klink, Marie Lund Klujeff, Manfred Kraus, Oliver W. Lembcke, Berit von der Lippe, James McDonald, Niels Møller Nielsen, Tatiana Tatarchevskiy, Italo Testa, Georgia Warnke, Kristian Wedberg, and Stephen West.




Direct Legislation by the Citizenship through the Initiative and Referendum


Book Description

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Direct Legislation by the Citizenship through the Initiative and Referendum" by J. W. Sullivan. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.




Direct Democracy Worldwide


Book Description

Challenging the common assumption that models of direct democracy and representative democracy are necessarily at odds, Direct Democracy Worldwide demonstrates how practices of direct and representative democracy interact under different institutional settings and uncovers the conditions that allow them to coexist in a mutually reinforcing manner. Whereas citizen-initiated mechanisms of direct democracy can spur productive relationships between citizens and political parties, other mechanisms of direct democracy often help leaders bypass other representative institutions, undermining republican checks and balances. The book also demonstrates that the embrace of direct democracy is costly, may generate uncertainties and inconsistencies, and can be manipulated. Nonetheless, the promise of direct democracy should not be dismissed. Direct democracy is much more than a simple, pragmatic second choice when representative democracy seems not to be working as expected. Properly designed, it can empower citizens, breaking through some of the institutionalized barriers to accountability that arise in representative systems.




Direct Democracy


Book Description

What is Direct Democracy? "Direct Democracy" explores how citizens can directly shape decision-making in politics, contrasting it with representative models. It offers a thorough analysis of this participatory system's principles, practices, and challenges, shedding light on its role in modern governance and citizen engagement. Chapters Overview: 1. Direct Democracy - Introduction to direct democracy, its history, and current relevance. 2. Politics of Switzerland - Detailed look at Switzerland’s extensive practice of direct democracy. 3. Referendum - Explanation of the referendum process and its impact. 4. Representative Democracy - Comparison of direct and representative democracy. 5. Initiative - Insight into citizen-initiated legislative actions. 6. Deliberative Democracy - Exploration of deliberative democracy and its role in direct democratic practices. 7. Participatory Democracy - Examination of broader citizen involvement beyond voting. 8. Initiatives and Referendums in the United States - Analysis of U.S. initiatives and referendums. 9. Swiss Federal Constitution - Overview of the Swiss constitutional framework supporting direct democracy. 10. Voting in Switzerland - Details of the Swiss voting process. 11. National Initiative - Concept and implications of national initiatives. 12. Arizona Ballot Proposition - Case study of direct democracy in Arizona. 13. Popular Referendum - Focus on the popular referendum process. 14. Legislative Referral - Explanation of legislative referrals and their significance. 15. History of Direct Democracy in the United States - Evolution and milestones in U.S. direct democracy. 16. Citizens' Assembly - Concept and challenges of citizens' assemblies. 17. Optional Referendum - Overview of the optional referendum process. 18. Referendums by Country - Comparative analysis of global referendum practices. 19. Outline of Democracy - Overview of democratic systems and the place of direct democracy. 20. Deliberative Referendum - Innovative approach combining direct and deliberative democracy. 21. Citizens' Initiative Referendum (France) - Case study of France's citizens' initiative referendum. "Direct Democracy" offers deep insights into how direct citizen participation transforms governance, making it an essential resource for anyone interested in the intricacies of democratic systems.




Citizenship: A Very Short Introduction


Book Description

Interest in citizenship has never been higher. But what does it mean to be a citizen in a modern, complex community? Richard Bellamy approaches the subject of citizenship from a political perspective and, in clear and accessible language, addresses the complexities behind this highly topical issue.




Citizenship and Democracy in an Era of Crisis


Book Description

Democracies are transforming worldwide, but at the same time political inequality is increasing. This development threatens to leave growing portions of mass publics effectively ‘outside’ the political process. This volume brings together leading authorities in the field of democratic citizenship and participation to address pertinent questions concerning the quality of the democratic political process at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Analysing causes and consequences of recent developments in democratic governance and citizenship, it contributes new and original research to the ongoing debate on the crisis of representative democracy. The contributors deal with a broad range of issues including aspects of democratic citizenship and citizens' perceptions of system performance, political inequality and the democratic impact of participatory innovations. This book will be of key interest to scholars and students in democratization studies, democratic citizenship, comparative politics, political sociology and political participation.




The Internet and Democratic Citizenship


Book Description

This book examines how the Internet can improve public communications and enrich democracy.




A Theory Of Citizenship


Book Description

Does vital citizenship require moral consensus? Or is it the ability to organize their differences that allows people to live together as citizens in a republic? Whereas liberal, republican, and communitarian theories of citizenship analyzed the conditions of citizenship, the central message of this book is that the practical exercise of citizenship, under conditions that are far from ideal, is the main source of its vitality. Instead of arguing for more participation, it focuses on the citizenship of those who, for whatever reason, are already active in the public sphere. Herman van Gunsteren develops a theory of citizenship well suited to the era of political reform that was inaugurated by the revolutions of 1989.




Toward an Ethic of Citizenship


Book Description

The idea for this book arose out of a little known political scandal, known as "phonegate", that occurred in Minnesota in the early 1990's in which a number of legislators were found to have been abusing their phone privileges. The hubris of the legislature in response to the discovery of this abuse not only made me rather angry, but, since I had been called for jury duty the year before, gave me the idea that service in the legislature ought to be a duty of citizenship like jury duty. Although the idea of the citizen legislature goes back to Aristotle, serious consideration of it raises the question of what is meant by citizenship and representation. This book addresses that question. It is an attempt to develop a model of citizenship in which representation is simultaneously a fundamental right and the highest obligation. After developing these ideas at a rather high level of abstraction, the book concludes with a proposed constitutional amendment for the State of Minnesota to illustrate how the model will work in practice.