Democracy has long been established as an enduring and stable system of governance in advanced developed countries. In more recent years, however, social, cultural and political divides have emerged that threaten the democratic way of life, emphasizing the vulnerability of even the most successful political regimes. This timely and important volume addresses the serious challenges faced by democracy in contemporary society.With contributions from some of the world's most prestigious scholars of public choice and political science, this comprehensive collection presents a complete overview of the threats democracy must confront, by both contesting accepted ideas and offering new approaches. Employing both theoretical and empirical evidence, the book tackles a broad range of concerns including the inherent problems of democratic life, faulty institutional arrangements, defective voting rules and fiscal issues that affect the ability to govern democratic nations. It will undoubtedly be a significant addition to the current literature. Presenting original and enlightening perspectives on the theory of democracy, this volume will be a fascinating read for students and scholars of public choice, public finance and public economics. It will also find appeal amongst political scientists and government policymakers.

In this major book an internationally acclaimed group of scholars examines theoretical and applied topics of particular relevance to public choice analysis.Current Issues in Public Choice demonstrates the fruitfulness and originality of the Public Choice School. These twelve papers have been prepared by some of the most prominent scholars in economic science, including James M. Buchanan, Amartya K. Sen, Bruno S. Frey, Jon Elster, Geoffrey Brennan and Gordon Tullock. Specific areas covered include the foundations of public choice theory, its scope and method, constitutional economics, game theory, rent-seeking, the European Union, public finance and the theory of societal economics. The pioneering research, theory and analysis brought together in this volume will be widely and profitably used by economists, political scientists and public and social choice scholars seeking insight into fundamental theoretical issues and applied analyses on current affairs.