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Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political structure & processes > Democracy
Explores the ways in which the nation-state and nationalism are challenged by contemporary realities. This volume addresses changes to our understanding of national sovereignty, problems posed by violent conflict between rival national projects, the feasibility of postnationalist democracy and citizenship, and the debate over global justice.
This book responds to an increasingly pluricentric, reflexive, and flexible society as a result of globalization and economic liberation from the bureaucratic-political system. The third industrial revolution saw citizens, companies, and the economy acting in functional networks rather than in static ones, making top-down governing ever more difficult. Despite this, society systems created in the wake of the second industrial revolution linger on and must adapt to the globalized, digitized reality in order to stay necessary and relevant. Through a theoretical discussion and four empirical cases studying governance and innovation systems, this volume is the first to describe the causes behind the impasse Western society seems to find itself in and suggests inclusive economic and democratic structures working in a bottom-up fashion as a way out. By understanding local circumstances as well as the innovative power of inclusive and participative structures, we can begin to pave the way to legitimate governance and growth. This book adds to the academic literature on democracy, governance, economy, and innovation systems for researchers and scholars of political science, social science, and economics.
Although Canada is regarded as one of the least corrupt countries, this volume draws on wide ranging evidence and innovative research from scholars around the world to challenge this assumption. Corruption, defined as the "abuse of entrusted power for private gain," is often understood as being caused by internally motivated greed leading to prohibited acts in contravention of laws, rules and regulations. It can also be defined as "dishonest action that destroys people's trust." These traditional forms of corruption pose problems for Canada in a variety of policy domains, as well as "institutional corruption" evidenced by deception and financial inconsistency that undermine the effectiveness and transparency of policy objectives. This volume contains chapters that investigate various areas of corruption in Canada, ranging from corruption amongst the First Nations, to the armed forces, to the delivery of foreign assistance. It also offers suggestions to reduce future outbreaks of corruption. Each chapter provides detailed empirical analysis evidenced through real world examples that highlight key lessons amidst the numerous challenges posed by corruption. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Canadian Foreign Policy Journal.
This is an interdisciplinary study of the actual mechanisms by which power corrupts. It pursues a cross-fertilization between political theory, organizational studies and cognitive science. In particular, it introduces advances in the field of cognitive psychology, which it uses to examine the effects of institutionalized power on how we think.
This volume gives specialists and students alike a comprehensive political history of Peru that includes the first full-length treatment of the 1980s, a decade in which early optimism sparked by the return of democratic rule gave way to widespread pessimism amidst a full-blown social, economic, and political crisis. Discussed are Peru's return to democracy in the 1980s and the multiple challenges that process has faced. The study traces the growth of the Sendero Luminoso insurgency; the economic collapse that brought Peru hyperinflation coupled with its deepest depression of the twentieth century; and the evolution of the electoral political system that brought Alberto Fujimori, a political novice, to the presidency in 1990. Many of the key causes of Peru's contemporary crisis--foreign debt, fiscal irresponsibility, desgobierno (erratic, inappropriate, or incompetent behavior on the part of the government), and the centralization of governmental authority--have been recurrent themes in Peruvian history since at least the early republican period. The profound social divisions within Peru's population, which constitute the principal cause of la crisis, have persisted even longer. A number of these divisions have broken down, however; in this development, the author sees cause for optimism in the midst of crisis. Latin American specialists, Peru watchers, advanced students in comparative politics, journalists, and anyone interested in the far-reaching changes occurring in Latin America will find this book useful and compelling.
This book uniquely depicts the preeminent role that African trade unions played in ousting dictatorships and bringing democracy to many African countries in the 1990s. In the analytical introduction and case studies of major African countries, leading scholars relate how democratic trade unions were critical in launching and sustaining democratization. Working with other societal groups and parties, unions continue to represent the popular classes and invigorate democratic life in these otherwise elite-dominated countries.
Recent proposals concerning Confucian meritocratic perfectionism have justified Confucian perfectionism in terms of political meritocracy. In contrast, 'Confucian democratic perfectionism' is a form of comprehensive Confucian perfectionism that can accommodate a plurality of values in civil society. It is also fully compatible with core values of democracy such as popular sovereignty, political equality, and the right to political participation. Sungmoon Kim presents 'public reason Confucianism' as the most attractive option for contemporary East Asian societies that are historically and culturally Confucian. Public reason Confucianism is a particular style of Confucian democratic perfectionism in which comprehensive Confucianism is connected with perfectionism via a distinctive form of public reason. It calls for an active role for the democratic state in promoting a Confucian conception of the good life, at the heart of which are such core Confucian values as filial piety and ritual propriety.
Leading scholars analyze three disruptions in the 2020 presidential campaign and election: disruptions to the status quo caused by the renewed quest for racial justice and greater diversity of candidates; pandemic disruptions to traditional campaigning; and disruptions to democratic norms. Democracy Disrupted documents the most significant features of the 2020 U.S. presidential election through research conducted by leading scholars in political communication. Chapters consider the coinciding of three historical events in 2020: a 100-year pandemic co-occurring with the presidential campaign, the reinvigorated call for social and racial justice in response to the killing of George Floyd and other Black men and women, and the authoritarian lurch that emerged in reaction to Donald Trump's norm-challenging rhetoric. The Democratic Party's campaign stood out because of the historically diverse field of presidential candidates and the election of the first female vice president. Chapter authors adopt diverse scientific methodologies and field-leading theories of political communication to understand the way these events forced candidates, campaigns, and voters to adapt to these extraordinary circumstances. Experiments, surveys, case studies, and textual analysis illuminate essential features of this once-in-a-generation campaign. This timely volume is edited by four scholars who have been central to describing and contextualizing each recent presidential contest. Indexes three historic events that coincided to make this an election that will be studied for generations: the pandemic, the insurrection at the capital, and the reinvigoration of the civil rights movement Utilizes the context of the COVID-19 pandemic as a natural experiment to examine long-untested assumptions about campaign effects Includes some of the most prominent and well-respected researchers in the area of political communication as well as emerging scholars who represent a wide range of academic programs Includes diverse studies from all methods of inquiry
After almost three decades of economic adjustment and restructuring, what have been the political consequences of structural reforms? "Democratic Institutions of Undemocratic Individuals" is a cogent, intriguing and a long-overdue account of the real impact of economic globalization in the developing world. In this essential book, Blind bridges an important gap in the literature attempting to straddle the yawning chasm between those scholars who argue that privatizations are good for democracy and those who maintain that they are not. This book demonstrates the differential impact of privatizations on different sectors of society. It gives a different perspective on the virtues and shortcomings of labor unions in democratization processes, and introduces fascinating comparisons between Kemalist and Peronist templates of nation-building. It yields a judicious process-tracing of Turkish and Argentine labor developments and depicts the groundbreaking interlacing of privatization and democratization in the global era.
In the post-war era one of the most significant transformations in the democratic process throughout Western Europe has been the widespread introduction of regional elections. Symptomatic of this decentralization has been the shift of various legislative powers to regional governing bodies. As a result, electorates throughout Western Europe now have more opportunities to express their preferences and air their grievances across electoral arenas while the dynamics of electoral competition have become increasingly multifarious and complex. Voters can now use regional elections to articulate their discontent with the policies of the national government or can elect based on the political offer in the regional electoral arena.This book brings together leading experts on elections who analyze differences between regional and national electoral outcomes in thirteen West European countries between 1945 and 2011. It extends existing insights by providing new empirical evidence and by presenting alternative accounts for differences between the regional and national vote across Western Europe.
Nationalist movements in the South have been superseded by a plethora of different social movements. This book examines these new movements and considers emerging paradigms of organization and mobilization, which are related to the role movements play in economic and political development. The book analyzes a number of cases and their context and discusses the implications for social movement theory. The focus is on social movements among underprivileged and middle class groups, and the book is global in scope.
The second edition of this popular and authoritative text provides a truly global assessment of democratization in theory and practice in the contemporary world. It has been systematically revised and updated throughout to cover recent developments, from the impact of 9/11 and EU enlargement to the war in Iraq.
Mexico stands apart for having been ruled by one political party since the 1920s, and this study examines the remarkable political stability Mexico has experienced over the past seven decades. Cothran argues that the country's unusual stability has been the result of the interaction of six factors: the institutionalized nature of the political system; the effectiveness of the regime in achieving rapid economic growth; the adaptability of the regime to emerging pressures; the cohesiveness of the political elites; the judicious use of coercion; and Mexico's proximity to the United States. However, this historical stability is facing new challenges in the 1990s. The author analyzes the changing political, social, and economic landscape in Mexico, and forecasts whether and how Mexico's semi-authoritarian political system will survive.
What does our future hold? Will the ANC split within the next five years? Could the DA rule the country in 2024? Will the EFF form an alliance with the ANC? What should we do to make our economy grow at levels that will impact on poverty and inequality? Will we become a more tolerant or a more violent society? In Fate of the Nation scenario expert Jakkie Cilliers answers all these and many other questions. He has developed three detailed scenarios for our immediate future and beyond – Bafana Bafana, Nation Divided and Mandela Magic. According to Cilliers the ANC is in many ways paralysed by the power struggle between what he calls the Traditionalists (supporters of Jacob Zuma) and the Reformers (led by Cyril Ramaphosa and others). This power struggle leads to policy confusion, poor leadership and general ineptitude in the civil service. Key to which scenario will become our reality is who will be elected to the ANC’s top leadership at their national conference in December 2017. Whichever group wins will determine what our future holds. We could also see a compromise grouping being selected, Cilliers says, in which case the Bafana Bafana scenario – where we simply muddle along as a country – is the strongest possibility. A book for all concerned South Africans.
With quiet eloquence, Lane Sunderland argues that we must reclaim the fundamental principles of the Constitution if we are to restore democratic government to its proper role in American life. For far too long, he contends, the popular will has been held in check by an overly powerful Supreme Court using non-constitutional principles to make policy and promote its own political agendas. His work shows why this has diminished American democracy and what we can do to revive it. Sunderland presents a strong, thoughtful challenge to the constitutional theories promoted by Ronald Dworkin, Archibald Cox, Richard Epstein, Michael Perry, John Hart Ely, Robert Bork, Philip Kurland, Laurence Tribe, Mark Tushnet, and Catharine MacKinnon--an enormously diverse group united by an apparent belief in judicial supremacy. Their theories, he demonstrates, undermine the democratic foundations of the Constitution and the power of the majority to resolve for itself important questions of justice. Central to this enterprise is Sunderland's reconsideration of The Federalist as the first, most reliable, and most profound commentary on the Constitution. "The Federalist," he states, "is crucial because it explains the underlying theory of the Constitution as a whole, a theory that gives meaning to its particular provisions." In addition, Sunderland reexamines the Declaration of Independence and the work of Hobbes, Locke, and Montesquieu, in order to better define the nature and limits of their influence on the Framers. His reading of these works in conjunction with The Federalist shows just how far afield contemporary commentators have strayed. Sunderland deliberately echoes and amplifies Madison's wisdom in Federalist No. 10 that the object of the Constitution is "to secure the public good and private rights . . . and at the same time to preserve the spirit and form of popular government." To attain that object, he persuasively argues, requires that the judiciary acknowledge and enforce the constitutional limitations upon its own powers. In an era loudly proclaiming the return of popular government, majority rule, and the "will of the people," that argument is especially relevant and appealing.
Democratic government has now been entrenched in Poland. An increasingly significant European actor, Poland presents problematic but also stimulating challenges to new NATO and EU associates. This authoritative overview examines in depth the constitutional and governmental framework in Poland since 1989 and its central political institutions, mechanisms, and actors. Sanford demonstrates how the governmental system evolved pragmatically during the 1990s to cope with modernization and consolidated viable independent statehood consensually around Poland's hardy constitutional values.
Questions of the extent to which social movements are capable of deepening democracy in India lie at the heart of this book. In particular, the authors ask how such movements can enhance the political capacities of subaltern groups and thereby enable them to contest and challenge marginality, stigma, and exploitation. The work addresses these questions through detailed empirical analyses of contemporary fields of protest in Indian society - ranging from gender and caste to class and rights-based legislation. Drawing on the original research of a variety of emerging and established international scholars, the volume contributes to an engaged dialogue on the prospects for democratizing Indian democracy in a context where neoliberal reforms fuel a contradictory process of uneven development.
What comes next for a former leader in a democracy - a Prime Minister or President obliged to leave office because they have lost an election, come to the end of their constitutionally-fixed term, lost the backing of their party, or chosen to leave? This book analyses the role and political influence of former leaders in Western democratic states.
What is the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court really allowed to do? This unique and handy guide includes the documents that guide our government, annotated with accessible explanations from one of America's most esteemed constitutional scholars. Known across the country for his appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Professor Richard Beeman is one of the nation's foremost experts on the United States Constitution. In this book, he has produced what every American should have: a compact, fully annotated copy of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and amendments, all in their entirety. A marvel of accessibility and erudition, the guide also features a history of the making of the Constitution with excerpts from The Federalist Papers and a look at crucial Supreme Court cases that reminds us that the meaning of many of the specific provisions of the Constitution has changed over time. "Excellent . . . valuable and judicious." -Jill Lepore, The New Yorker
The bottom-line message of this book is democracy resurgent - but not triumphant. There are any number of conceivable anti-democratic threats and no prospect of ever achieving either a satisfactory or a permanent level of democracy in all countries and societies. Any lowering of the guard by democracy's defenders in academia or real world politics risks the danger of democracy once again falling upon hard times or even regressing.
In "Democracy in an Age of Globalisation," Otfried Hoffe develops a comprehensive analysis of the demands, which the process of globalization exerts on the political organisations of humanity. The author starts from a diagnosis of the process of globalisation and frees its concept from its economistic narrowing: Globalisation is a comprehensive process which puts new strains on the economies and political systems of the world, the cultural and social structures of peoples. The scope of its challenges demands solutions, which transcend the powers of the classical nation-state. The question central to the book can be formulated as follows: "How can the social, moral and legal achievements of the nation-state be retained while its structure is reshaped to satisfy the requirements of a globalised world?"
In this book, the authors explore the apparent decline in youth civic engagement through research studies conducted in seven societies/nations with varied experiences with democracy. This work is framed within a youth civic engagement model. Each subsequent chapter presents the findings for each nation, along with contextual and historical discussions of citizenship education. This book explores the findings in Canada, England, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, and Mexico.
Most studies of Australia begin with the "the island-continent." The surrounding oceans are little more than a backdrop for the dramas that occur on dry land. This is the first book to turn its attention to the oceans and coastlines that make and remake the limits of Australia through events such as the arrival of asylum seekers' boats, the Indian Ocean tsunami, the Bali bombings and maritime peacekeeping missions in the Pacific. Against the imperatives of war, security, aid and disaster, various configurations of bodies, boats, borders and beaches testify to the power and the limits of Australia's insular illusion.
This book offers a comprehensive account of the nature and development of political communication in Africa. In light of the growing number of African states now turning towards democratic rule, as well as the growing utilization of information technologies in Africa, the contributors examine topics such as: the role of social media in politics, strategic political communication, political philosophy and political communication, Habermas in Africa, gender and political communication, image dilemma in Africa, and issues in political communication research in Africa, and identify the frontiers for future research on political communication in Africa.
The book investigates why a country facing issues that needed to be tackled nationwide chose to decentralize when it moved from authoritarianism to democracy. It discusses the events of the Brazilian constituent assembly and investigates the results of decentralization at the subnational sphere. The results suggest that there was a lack of social consensus on what was to be achieved by decentralization. They suggest that political and economic factors influence the outcomes of decentralization, thus exposing the limits of decentralization on policy results. |
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