Democracy Realized

Democracy Realized PDF

Author: Roberto Mangabeira Unger

Publisher: Verso

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 334

ISBN-13: 9781859849835

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A radical program of reform from a commanding political theorist. Roberto Unger is widely recognized as one of the most innovative and intellectually audacious political and legal theorists alive today. Placing himself in the tradition of "revolutionary reforms," Unger has charted a course between social democracy and neoliberalism, seeking to combine the best element of both nonstatist and liberal aspirations. In this new work, Unger brings to bear his unique understanding of the replaceable nature of social and political institutions on the present global situation. The world economy is being reorganized as a network of economic vanguards, of privileged insiders, separated from the economic rearguard, the largely disenfranchised outsiders. Traditional devices for containing this division, whether through a redistributive welfare state or the support of small business, have proved inadequate. Democracy Realized challenges the ideological dominance of neoliberalism, which insists that all countries must converge in their acceptance of the dictates of market "flexibility." Instead, Unger has developed practical alternatives that can narrow the divide between insiders and outsiders. In particular, he argues that in rich and poor countries alike, a more decentralized and inclusive relationship can be built between business and government, and that levels of civic engagement and group organization can be heightened and strengthened. In an age when leftist and progressive circles are marked by timidity and defensiveness, Unger's Democracy Realized restores intellectual courage and programmatic zeal to political thought.

Democracy Realized

Democracy Realized PDF

Author: Roberto Mangabeira Unger

Publisher: Verso

Published: 2000-06-17

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 9781859840092

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Unger gives detailed content to a progressive and practical alternative to neoliberalism and institutionally conservative social democracy in a strategy that has drawn increasing attention throughout the world as well as in his native Brazil.

After Democracy

After Democracy PDF

Author: Zizi Papacharissi

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2021-02-09

Total Pages: 177

ISBN-13: 030025864X

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What do ordinary citizens really want from their governments? Democracy has long been considered an ideal state of governance. What if it’s not? Perhaps it is not the end goal but, rather, a transition stage to something better. Drawing on original interviews conducted with citizens of more than thirty countries, Zizi Papacharissi explores what democracy is, what it means to be a citizen, and what can be done to enhance governance. As she probes the ways governments can better serve their citizens and evolve in positive ways, Papacharissi gives a voice to everyday people, whose ideas and experiences of capitalism, media, and education can help shape future governing practices. This book expands on the well-known difficulties of realizing the intimacy of democracy in a global world—the “democratic paradox”—and presents a concrete vision of how communications technologies can be harnessed to implement representative equality, information equality, and civic literacy.

Democracy and Political Ignorance

Democracy and Political Ignorance PDF

Author: Ilya Somin

Publisher: Stanford University Press

Published: 2013-10-02

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 0804789312

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One of the biggest problems with modern democracy is that most of the public is usually ignorant of politics and government. Often, many people understand that their votes are unlikely to change the outcome of an election and don't see the point in learning much about politics. This may be rational, but it creates a nation of people with little political knowledge and little ability to objectively evaluate what they do know. In Democracy and Political Ignorance, Ilya Somin mines the depths of ignorance in America and reveals the extent to which it is a major problem for democracy. Somin weighs various options for solving this problem, arguing that political ignorance is best mitigated and its effects lessened by decentralizing and limiting government. Somin provocatively argues that people make better decisions when they choose what to purchase in the market or which state or local government to live under, than when they vote at the ballot box, because they have stronger incentives to acquire relevant information and to use it wisely.

Honeybee Democracy

Honeybee Democracy PDF

Author: Thomas D. Seeley

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2010-09-20

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 140083595X

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Honeybees make decisions collectively--and democratically. Every year, faced with the life-or-death problem of choosing and traveling to a new home, honeybees stake everything on a process that includes collective fact-finding, vigorous debate, and consensus building. In fact, as world-renowned animal behaviorist Thomas Seeley reveals, these incredible insects have much to teach us when it comes to collective wisdom and effective decision making. A remarkable and richly illustrated account of scientific discovery, Honeybee Democracy brings together, for the first time, decades of Seeley's pioneering research to tell the amazing story of house hunting and democratic debate among the honeybees. In the late spring and early summer, as a bee colony becomes overcrowded, a third of the hive stays behind and rears a new queen, while a swarm of thousands departs with the old queen to produce a daughter colony. Seeley describes how these bees evaluate potential nest sites, advertise their discoveries to one another, engage in open deliberation, choose a final site, and navigate together--as a swirling cloud of bees--to their new home. Seeley investigates how evolution has honed the decision-making methods of honeybees over millions of years, and he considers similarities between the ways that bee swarms and primate brains process information. He concludes that what works well for bees can also work well for people: any decision-making group should consist of individuals with shared interests and mutual respect, a leader's influence should be minimized, debate should be relied upon, diverse solutions should be sought, and the majority should be counted on for a dependable resolution. An impressive exploration of animal behavior, Honeybee Democracy shows that decision-making groups, whether honeybee or human, can be smarter than even the smartest individuals in them.

Preserving Democracy

Preserving Democracy PDF

Author: Elgin L Hushbeck, Jr

Publisher: Energion Publications

Published: 2024-05-21

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 1631998943

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Like an aging monument, democracy itself is crumbling. An ever-expanding government threatens both our freedom and a financial collapse. Increasing polarization makes the task of governing effectively difficult. ● Government's attempts to make people's lives better often have the opposite effect ● Differing views of the Constitution divide more than unify us. ● Both sides increasingly question elections if they don’t win. ● Even the concept of what an American is leads to division. ● Debate is often less about solving problems and more about political advantage and defeating the other side. Today, 15 years after the first edition of this book was published, these problems are growing worse, not better. But the solutions still remain in deeper understanding of the issues and in the ability to work together to produce effective solutions that are based on facts and evidence. We can learn a great deal about how to accomplish this by studying the history of American representative democracy. Preserving Democracy delves into areas such as taxation and the welfare state, planning versus competition, the rule of law, the breakdown of voting, the distortion of language, the importance of an informed electorate, and the loss of American values. It highlights how these factors have impacted the health of American democracy and government and outlines the long-term consequences. This book points the way to seriously studying American democratic traditions and the things that have made them function this long. It then talks about how we can get back onto the track of building and preserving a just society. Every American who plans to vote or otherwise participate in our government needs to read this book, not necessarily to agree with the author on each subject, but to find a way to better understand both the subject and the background of diverse views. Informed dialogue may be the key to preserving democracy in America.

Slow Democracy

Slow Democracy PDF

Author: Susan Clark

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 1603584137

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Reconnecting with the sources of decisions that affect us, and with the processes of democracy itself, is at the heart of 21st-century sustainable communities. Slow Democracy chronicles the ways in which ordinary people have mobilized to find local solutions to local problems. It invites us to bring the advantages of "slow" to our community decision making. Just as slow food encourages chefs and eaters to become more intimately involved with the production of local food, slow democracy encourages us to govern ourselves locally with processes that are inclusive, deliberative, and citizen powered. Susan Clark and Woden Teachout outline the qualities of real, local decision making and show us the range of ways that communities are breathing new life into participatory democracy around the country. We meet residents who seize back control of their municipal water systems from global corporations, parents who find unique solutions to seemingly divisive school-redistricting issues, and a host of other citizens across the nation who have designed local decision-making systems to solve the problems unique to their area in ways that work best for their communities. Though rooted in the direct participation that defined our nation's early days, slow democracy is not a romantic vision for reigniting the ways of old. Rather, the strategies outlined here are uniquely suited to 21st-century technologies and culture.If our future holds an increased focus on local food, local energy, and local economy, then surely we will need to improve our skills at local governance as well.

Democracy For Beginners

Democracy For Beginners PDF

Author: Robert Cavalier

Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser

Published: 2009-02-10

Total Pages: 152

ISBN-13: 1939994047

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With all the talk about “democracy” these days, it’s surprising how little time is spent concentrating on the concept of democracy itself, its history and justification as a form of political governance. Democracy for Beginners looks at democracy’s rich evolution in its varied forms, and at some of the challenges democracies face today. Beginning with the rise of democracy in fifth-century Athens and ending with an exploration of what the future might hold — for example the notion of “e-democracy”—Democracy for Beginners is an important resource for understanding the foundation on which our country stands. Readers will become familiar with ideas advanced by democracy’s advocates and architects, and by its critics, from Plato to contemporary social choice theoreticians. Democracy for Beginners is the perfect introduction to the United States of America's founding principles.

Democracy

Democracy PDF

Author: Condoleezza Rice

Publisher: Twelve

Published: 2017-05-09

Total Pages: 440

ISBN-13: 1455540196

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From the former secretary of state and bestselling author -- a sweeping look at the global struggle for democracy and why America must continue to support the cause of human freedom. "This heartfelt and at times very moving book shows why democracy proponents are so committed to their work...Both supporters and skeptics of democracy promotion will come away from this book wiser and better informed." -- The New York Times From the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union to the ongoing struggle for human rights in the Middle East, Condoleezza Rice has served on the front lines of history. As a child, she was an eyewitness to a third awakening of freedom, when her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, became the epicenter of the civil rights movement for black Americans. In this book, Rice explains what these epochal events teach us about democracy. At a time when people around the world are wondering whether democracy is in decline, Rice shares insights from her experiences as a policymaker, scholar, and citizen, in order to put democracy's challenges into perspective. When the United States was founded, it was the only attempt at self-government in the world. Today more than half of all countries qualify as democracies, and in the long run that number will continue to grow. Yet nothing worthwhile ever comes easily. Using America's long struggle as a template, Rice draws lessons for democracy around the world -- from Russia, Poland, and Ukraine, to Kenya, Colombia, and the Middle East. She finds that no transitions to democracy are the same because every country starts in a different place. Pathways diverge and sometimes circle backward. Time frames for success vary dramatically, and countries often suffer false starts before getting it right. But, Rice argues, that does not mean they should not try. While the ideal conditions for democracy are well known in academia, they never exist in the real world. The question is not how to create perfect circumstances but how to move forward under difficult ones. These same insights apply in overcoming the challenges faced by governments today. The pursuit of democracy is a continuing struggle shared by people around the world, whether they are opposing authoritarian regimes, establishing new democratic institutions, or reforming mature democracies to better live up to their ideals. The work of securing it is never finished. NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER