Author : Patricio Silva
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 380 pages
File Size : 27,90 MB
Release : 2009
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9004177833
This book examines the different levels of citizens' participation in the decision-making process existing in Brazil and Chile. A series of historical and political factors are explored which have favoured or obstructed the existence of participatory schemes in both countries.
Author : Bruce E. Cain
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Page : 332 pages
File Size : 31,68 MB
Release : 2006
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780199291649
This text assembles the evidence of how democratic institutions and processes are changing and considers the larger implications of these reforms for the nature of democracy. The findings point to a new style of democratic politics that expands the nature of democracy.
Author : Samuel P. Huntington
Publisher : University of Oklahoma Press
Page : 388 pages
File Size : 17,85 MB
Release : 2012-09-06
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0806186046
Between 1974 and 1990 more than thirty countries in southern Europe, Latin America, East Asia, and Eastern Europe shifted from authoritarian to democratic systems of government. This global democratic revolution is probably the most important political trend in the late twentieth century. In The Third Wave, Samuel P. Huntington analyzes the causes and nature of these democratic transitions, evaluates the prospects for stability of the new democracies, and explores the possibility of more countries becoming democratic. The recent transitions, he argues, are the third major wave of democratization in the modem world. Each of the two previous waves was followed by a reverse wave in which some countries shifted back to authoritarian government. Using concrete examples, empirical evidence, and insightful analysis, Huntington provides neither a theory nor a history of the third wave, but an explanation of why and how it occurred. Factors responsible for the democratic trend include the legitimacy dilemmas of authoritarian regimes; economic and social development; the changed role of the Catholic Church; the impact of the United States, the European Community, and the Soviet Union; and the "snowballing" phenomenon: change in one country stimulating change in others. Five key elite groups within and outside the nondemocratic regime played roles in shaping the various ways democratization occurred. Compromise was key to all democratizations, and elections and nonviolent tactics also were central. New democracies must deal with the "torturer problem" and the "praetorian problem" and attempt to develop democratic values and processes. Disillusionment with democracy, Huntington argues, is necessary to consolidating democracy. He concludes the book with an analysis of the political, economic, and cultural factors that will decide whether or not the third wave continues. Several "Guidelines for Democratizers" offer specific, practical suggestions for initiating and carrying out reform. Huntington's emphasis on practical application makes this book a valuable tool for anyone engaged in the democratization process. At this volatile time in history, Huntington's assessment of the processes of democratization is indispensable to understanding the future of democracy in the world.
Author :
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 380 pages
File Size : 31,75 MB
Release : 2009-08-17
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9047431898
From democratic restoration in the 1980s up to today, most Latin American countries have been struggling constantly to find a workable balance between the need to strengthen the authority of state institutions and their citizens’ aspirations to have a real say in the decision-making process. This book looks at the contrasting ways in which both Brazil and Chile have been dealing with societal demands for participation during the last two decades. The contributors to this volume highlight a series of historical and political factors that help to understand why Brazil has been able to introduce innovative democratizing policies while Chile has largely failed in the advancement of participatory schemes as its decision-making process continues to be heavily top-down and technocratic. Contributors: Rebecca N. Abers, Gianpaolo Baiocchi, Adolfo Castillo Díaz, Herwig Cleuren, Gonzalo Delamaza, Vicente Espinoza, Joe Foweraker, Marcus Klein, Kees Koonings, Adalmir Marquetti, Patricio Navia, William R. Nylen, Paul W. Posner, Patricio Silva, and Brian Wampler.
Author : Craufurd D. Goodwin
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 391 pages
File Size : 22,79 MB
Release : 2019-03-07
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0429723555
Beyond Government examines how vigorous and truly pluralistic policy debate has evolved in both mature and emerging democracies and then suggests how it may be encouraged from within and sustained by outside assistance. The contributors argue that a strong democracy thrives on a rich population of organizations and individuals that respond to the issues of the moment, the concerns of groups within society that wish to be heard, and the styles of interaction that seem most appropriate at any given time. The volume has five parts. In the first, three U.S.-based authors present models of public debate from the American experience. In the second part, four authors-two from Latin America and two from Eastern Europe-chronicle and analyze the public debate that accompanied their countries' transitions to democracy. The third section includes chapters on specific areas of policy research, the fourth shifts attention to the institutions that foster debate, and the fifth assesses contributions to public debate from abroad by foundations and the corporate sector. A concluding section looks ahead to challenges and opportunities.
Author : Russell J. Dalton
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 254 pages
File Size : 23,92 MB
Release : 2017-10-06
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0191053325
The dilemma of democracy arises from two contrasting trends. More people in the established democracies are participating in civil society activity, contacting government officials, protesting, and using online activism and other creative forms of participation. At the same time, the importance of social status as an influence on political activity is increasing. The democratic principle of the equality of voice is eroding. The politically rich are getting richer-and the politically needy have less voice. This book assembles an unprecedented set of international public opinion surveys to identify the individual, institutional, and political factors that produce these trends. New forms of activity place greater demands on participants, raising the importance of social status skills and resources. Civil society activity further widens the participation gap. New norms of citizenship shift how people participate. And generational change and new online forms of activism accentuate this process. Effective and representative government requires a participatory citizenry and equal voice, and participation trends are undermining these outcomes. The Participation Gap both documents the growing participation gap in contemporary democracies and suggests ways that we can better achieve their theoretical ideal of a participatory citizenry and equal voice.
Author : Anuradha Kataria
Publisher : Algora Publishing
Page : 209 pages
File Size : 39,2 MB
Release : 2011
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 087586810X
There is a widening gap between democracy as a theory and its practice. While supposedly a solution to the problems of the developing world, in practice democracy has more often led to instability, civil wars, genocides, fundamentalism, crime and corruption. In contrast, in the West, voting rights were extended gradually over a century or two, in tandem with economic empowerment and also social awakening. The democratic republics that "evolved" out of this long process were stable and progressive. In the developing world, a shortcut to the end and "premature political opening up" has proven disastrous for many a nation like Nigeria, Iraq, Congo, Kenya, Pakistan, South Africa etc. Even in the few stable ones like India, democracy has failed to make a dent in poverty alleviation and has instead got caught in divisive election stunts. At the same time, some unitary states like China have surged far ahead of others and broken out of the "largely poor and deteriorating" mould. Why? What are the reasons democracy does not work in the developing world? Could it be made to work through improvements or is it the wrong model altogether? The notion that democracy is going to transform our world holds little credence to anyone who has witnessed its true colors like the author has, hailing from India and also having lived in China and some other countries. Thus as a scientist and researcher, she has studied the history, politics and economics of some 150 countries across the world. The book delves into the complex world of subversive election winning strategies, secession movements, coalition governments, the meaning of freedom to people living amidst violence and poverty as well as a study of other sociopolitical systems. Without any a priori theories, willing to go where the evidence leads, the author is able to point out the "Emperor's new clothes" for what they truly are. It may be time to challenge our perfect theory as democracy may not be the answer to the developing world's problems. The quest for truth leads us to surprising answers in terms of progressive transient alternatives for the developing world as well as some pointers for streamlining democracy, the system per se. Democracy on Trialis a compelling discovery of fresh answers and pragmatic solutions to the pressing problems of our times — from large scale abject poverty in developing countries across Asia and Africa to many civil wars and ongoing mayhem in others. One book that comes close to the perspective inDemocracy on Trial – All Rise!is The Future of Freedom by Fareed Zakaria. Zakaria's is the first book to acknowledge democracy's failure in the developing world, but it leaves the important question 'what is the alternative' largely unanswered and falls back on rationalizations to conclude. Most of the current literature on democracy is primarily theoretical in nature and addresses some of its faults but democracy per se is eulogized. The new title is different in that it answers the question of 'what is the alternative' or a way forward based on an empirical analysis that carries the reader along to the conclusions. The perspective is new, as yet unexplored, and marries the progressive with the pragmatic.
Author : Andrea Ribeiro Hoffmann
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 218 pages
File Size : 32,81 MB
Release : 2016-05-23
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 1317164970
Combining normative analysis and theory-driven empirical research in a comparative framework, this volume clarifies and explains the connections between regional international governance, legitimacy and democracy. It focuses on the quality of democracy and the legitimacy of policy making in multilevel regional systems. The volume offers a much-needed clarification of confusing concepts such as legitimacy, democracy and 'civil society' in non-national political systems. It critically assesses the quality of democracy and legitimacy within different Regional International Organizations (RIOs); it examines how networks of non-state actors become a kind of transnational civil society and assesses their potential for solving legitimacy deficits; and it investigates the impact of democratic conditionality in different RIOs. The contributors deepen our understanding of a relatively new non-state actor on the international scene - the regional international organization - and investigate the potential contribution of transnational non-state actors to the quality of governance at the regional level.
Author : John S. Dryzek
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 270 pages
File Size : 42,51 MB
Release : 1990
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780521478274
Discursive Democracy examines how the political process can be made more vital and meaningful.
Author : Daniel Hart
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 185 pages
File Size : 31,94 MB
Release : 2018
Category : Education
ISBN : 0190641487
With a government plagued by systemic ills and deep ideological divides, democracy, as we know it, is in jeopardy. Yet, ironically, voter apathy remains prevalent and evidence suggests standard civic education has done little to instill a sense of civic duty in the American public. While some are waiting for change to come from within, trying to influence already polarized voters, or counting down the days until the "next election," leading child and adolescent development experts Daniel Hart and James Youniss are looking to another solution: America's youth. In Renewing Democracy in Young America, Hart and Youniss examine the widening generation gap, the concentration of wealth in pockets of the US, and the polarized political climate, and they arrive at a compelling solution to some of the most hotly contested issues of our time. The future of democracy depends on the American people seeing citizenship as a long-term psychological identity, and thus it is critical that youth have the opportunity to act as citizens during the time of their identity formation. Proposing that 16- and 17-year-olds be able to vote in municipal elections and suggesting that schools create science-based, community-oriented environmental engagement programs, the authors expound that by engaging youth through direct citizen-participatory experiences, we can successfully create active and committed citizens. Political scientists, media commentators, and citizens alike agree that democratic processes are broken across the nation, but we cannot stop at simply showing that our political system is dysfunctional. Refreshingly lucid and unabashedly hopeful, Renewing Democracy in Young America is an impeccably timed call to action.
