Challenges of Democracy in the 21st Century

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351209493
Total Pages : 322 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (512 download)

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Book Synopsis Challenges of Democracy in the 21st Century by : Luca Tomini

Download or read book Challenges of Democracy in the 21st Century written by Luca Tomini and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-05-08 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The effectiveness and capacity of survival of democratic regimes has been recently and widely questioned in the public and political debate. Both democratic institutions and political actors are increasingly confronted with rapid economic and societal transformations that, at least according to some observers and commentators, they not seem to be ready or equipped to manage effectively. This book evaluates and challenges recent scholarly literature on the quality of democracy. It provides a critical assessment of the current state of the studies on the subject, identifying the key questions and discussing open issues, alternative approaches, problems and future developments. Bringing together some of the most prominent and distinguished scholars who have developed and discussed the topic of the quality of democracy during the last decade, it deals with a highly relevant topic in political science and extremely sensitive subject for our democratic societies. This text will be of key interest to scholars of democracy and democratization and more broadly to comparative politics, electoral studies, political theory, power and comparative political institutions.

Challenges to Democratic Governance in Developing Countries

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Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3319031430
Total Pages : 287 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (19 download)

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Book Synopsis Challenges to Democratic Governance in Developing Countries by : Gedeon Mudacumura

Download or read book Challenges to Democratic Governance in Developing Countries written by Gedeon Mudacumura and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2014-01-04 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ​Despite the large amounts of human and financial resources invested to foster democratic governance in developing countries, statistics show that the majority of these countries have not yet achieved significant improvements in living standards. While some regions make strides towards improving the living conditions of their citizens, Sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, is still trapped in poverty with more than 40% of its 600 million people living below the internationally recognized absolute poverty line of one US dollar per day. Poor governance and corruption should be highlighted as the most important systemic factors contributing to poverty in developing countries. As a result the institutional foundations of these countries are weakened, public funds are misappropriated, and policies and programs aimed at reducing poverty and fostering sustainable economic growth are undermined. It is therefore not surprising that a 2008 Transparency International report found a direct link between corruption and the failure of the societal institutions designed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in the majority of developing countries. This book investigates the problems of democratic governance, particularly as they relate to corruption, and also whether democracy should be based on universal principles or local context and historical factors. It also analyses the rule of law, in promoting democratic governance and curbing corruption and if governmental, non-governmental organizations, and civil societies are effective in promoting democratic governance and curbing corruption. This book will go beyond identifying the challenges and offer plausible solutions that could be adapted to various developing countries. It is premised on the importance of bridging theory and practice, which has been lacking in most local and international development publications, making of interest to scholars and policy-makers alike concerned with public administration in developing countries.​

Trust, Democracy, and Multicultural Challenges

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Author :
Publisher : Penn State Press
ISBN 13 : 0271058889
Total Pages : 207 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (71 download)

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Book Synopsis Trust, Democracy, and Multicultural Challenges by : Patti Tamara Lenard

Download or read book Trust, Democracy, and Multicultural Challenges written by Patti Tamara Lenard and published by Penn State Press. This book was released on 2015-11-04 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Banning minarets by referendum in Switzerland, publicly burning Korans in the United States, prohibiting kirpans in public spaces in Canada—these are all examples of the rising backlash against diversity that is spreading across multicultural societies. Trust has always been precarious, and never more so than as a result of increased immigration. The number of religions, races, ethnicities, and cultures living together in democratic communities and governed by shared political institutions is rising. The failure to construct public policy to cope with this diversity—to ensure that trust can withstand the pressure that diversity can pose—is a failure of democracy. The threat to trust originates in the perception that the values and norms that should underpin a public culture are no longer truly shared. Therefore, societies must focus on building trust through a revitalized public culture. In Trust, Democracy, and Multicultural Challenges, Patti Tamara Lenard plots a course for this revitalization. She argues that trust is at the center of effective democratic politics, that increasing ethnocultural diversity as a result of immigration may generate distrust, and therefore that democratic communities must work to generate the conditions under which trust between newcomers and “native” citizens can be built, so that the quality of democracy is sustained.

Democracies Divided

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Publisher : Brookings Institution Press
ISBN 13 : 081573722X
Total Pages : 321 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (157 download)

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Book Synopsis Democracies Divided by : Thomas Carothers

Download or read book Democracies Divided written by Thomas Carothers and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2019-09-24 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A must-read for anyone concerned about the fate of contemporary democracies.”—Steven Levitsky, co-author of How Democracies Die 2020 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Why divisions have deepened and what can be done to heal them As one part of the global democratic recession, severe political polarization is increasingly afflicting old and new democracies alike, producing the erosion of democratic norms and rising societal anger. This volume is the first book-length comparative analysis of this troubling global phenomenon, offering in-depth case studies of countries as wide-ranging and important as Brazil, India, Kenya, Poland, Turkey, and the United States. The case study authors are a diverse group of country and regional experts, each with deep local knowledge and experience. Democracies Divided identifies and examines the fissures that are dividing societies and the factors bringing polarization to a boil. In nearly every case under study, political entrepreneurs have exploited and exacerbated long-simmering divisions for their own purposes—in the process undermining the prospects for democratic consensus and productive governance. But this book is not simply a diagnosis of what has gone wrong. Each case study discusses actions that concerned citizens and organizations are taking to counter polarizing forces, whether through reforms to political parties, institutions, or the media. The book’s editors distill from the case studies a range of possible ways for restoring consensus and defeating polarization in the world’s democracies. Timely, rigorous, and accessible, this book is of compelling interest to civic activists, political actors, scholars, and ordinary citizens in societies beset by increasingly rancorous partisanship.

Authoritarianism Goes Global

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Publisher : JHU Press
ISBN 13 : 142141998X
Total Pages : 252 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (214 download)

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Book Synopsis Authoritarianism Goes Global by : Larry Diamond

Download or read book Authoritarianism Goes Global written by Larry Diamond and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2016-04-15 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With democracy in decline, authoritarian governments are staging a comeback around the world. Over the past decade, illiberal powers have become emboldened and gained influence within the global arena. Leading authoritarian countries—including China, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela—have developed new tools and strategies to contain the spread of democracy and challenge the liberal international political order. Meanwhile, the advanced democracies have retreated, failing to respond to the threat posed by the authoritarians. As undemocratic regimes become more assertive, they are working together to repress civil society while tightening their grip on cyberspace and expanding their reach in international media. These political changes have fostered the emergence of new counternorms—such as the authoritarian subversion of credible election monitoring—that threaten to further erode the global standing of liberal democracy. In Authoritarianism Goes Global, a distinguished group of contributors present fresh insights on the complicated issues surrounding the authoritarian resurgence and the implications of these systemic shifts for the international order. This collection of essays is critical for advancing our understanding of the emerging challenges to democratic development. Contributors: Anne Applebaum, Anne-Marie Brady, Alexander Cooley, Javier Corrales, Ron Deibert, Larry Diamond, Patrick Merloe, Abbas Milani, Andrew Nathan, Marc F. Plattner, Peter Pomerantsev, Douglas Rutzen, Lilia Shevtsova, Alex Vatanka, Christopher Walker, and Frederic Wehrey

Inventing Leadership

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Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1847207243
Total Pages : 423 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (472 download)

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Book Synopsis Inventing Leadership by : J. Thomas Wren

Download or read book Inventing Leadership written by J. Thomas Wren and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2007 with total page 423 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tom Wren s book is a masterpiece of intellectual history. It explores the philosophical and historical foundations of democracy in a compelling way. Wren is a sparkling and graceful writer. He makes a potentially dry subject come alive with wit and insight. The issues Wren addresses are extremely timely, as the United States endeavors to advance democracy in the Middle East. George Goethals, University of Richmond, US In this important analysis of democratic thought and treatise on leadership, historian Tom Wren drills down to the essential intellectual paradox: that leadership and democracy are inherently hostile concepts. Wren brilliantly strips down our fictions concerning these domains in his extensive deconstruction of both classical and modern thought. What emerges is a dialectical awakening and a practical new vision of citizen participation and enlightened leadership. Georgia Sorenson, James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership, University of Maryland, College Park and US Army An excellent scholarly work that is well written and highly relevant within the context of contemporary politics. Although essential reading for teachers and students of political theory, it will also interest the general reader and armchair politician. First Trust Bank Economic Outlook and Business Review Wren is to be commended for attempting to lay bare the underlying assumptions and premises that inform any approach to politics. . . an important contribution to an ongoing conversation about what contemporary leadership should look like. Undergraduates will benefit from his review of important theorists, and practitioners should be challenged by Wren s own theses about leadership. Highly recommended. All readership levels. M.J. Watson, Choice The tension between ruler and ruled in democratic societies has never been satisfactorily resolved, and the competing interpretations of this relationship lie at the bottom of much modern political discourse. In this fascinating book, Thomas Wren clarifies and elevates the debates over leadership by identifying the fundamental premises and assumptions that underlie past and present understandings. The author traces the intellectual history of the central constructs: the leader, the people, and, ultimately, the relationship between them as they seek to accomplish societal objectives. He begins with a discussion of the invented notion of the classical paragon of a ruler. Next he pursues the invention of the countervailing concept of a sovereign people, and finally, the need for the invention of a new construct leadership which embodies a new relation between ruler and ruled in regimes dedicated to power in the people. In doing so, he draws upon the giants of the Western intellectual tradition as well as the insights of modern historians, political scientists, sociologists and leadership scholars. The book concludes with a proposed model of leadership for a modern democratic world. Elegantly written and masterfully argued, this comprehensive study will be essential reading for students and scholars of leadership and democracy.

Challenges of Ordinary Democracy

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Author :
Publisher : Penn State Press
ISBN 13 : 0271036907
Total Pages : 266 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (71 download)

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Book Synopsis Challenges of Ordinary Democracy by : Karen Tracy

Download or read book Challenges of Ordinary Democracy written by Karen Tracy and published by Penn State Press. This book was released on 2011-01-19 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Analyzes the practice and meanings of democratic decision making through an extended case study of school board meetings in one western U.S. community. Argues that for communication conduct in local governance bodies, reasonable hostility is a more promising ideal than civility"--Provided by publisher.

Public Choice and the Challenges of Democracy

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Author :
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9781847205285
Total Pages : 392 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (52 download)

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Book Synopsis Public Choice and the Challenges of Democracy by : Jos‰ Casas Pardo

Download or read book Public Choice and the Challenges of Democracy written by Jos‰ Casas Pardo and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2007-01-01 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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 p

Catholic Intellectuals and the Challenge of Democracy

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Publisher : University of Notre Dame Pess
ISBN 13 : 0268159289
Total Pages : 633 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (681 download)

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Book Synopsis Catholic Intellectuals and the Challenge of Democracy by : Jay P. Corrin

Download or read book Catholic Intellectuals and the Challenge of Democracy written by Jay P. Corrin and published by University of Notre Dame Pess. This book was released on 2010-12-20 with total page 633 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tracing the development of progressive Catholic approaches to political and economic modernization, Catholic Intellectuals and the Challenge of Democracy disputes standard interpretations of the Catholic response to democracy and modernity in the English-speaking world—particularly the conventional view that the Church was the servant of right-wing reactionaries and authoritarian, patriarchal structures. Starting with the writings of Bishop Wilhelm von Ketteler of Germany, the Frenchman Frédérick Ozanam, and England’s Cardinal Henry Edward Manning, whose pioneering work laid the foundation of the Catholic "third way," Corrin reveals a long tradition within Roman Catholicism that championed social activism. These visionary writers were the forerunners of Pope John XXIII’s aggiornamento, a call for Catholics to broaden their historical perspectives and move beyond a static theology fixed to the past. By examining this often overlooked tradition, Corrin attempts to confront the perception that Catholicism in the modern age has invariably been an institution of reaction that is highly suspicious of liberalism and progressive social reform. Catholic Intellectuals and the Challenge of Democracy charts the efforts of key Catholic intellectuals, primarily in Britain and the United States, who embraced the modern world and endeavored to use the legacies of their faith to form an alternative, pluralistic path that avoided both socialist collectivism and capitalism. In this sweeping volume, Corrin discusses the influences of Cecil and G. K. Chesterton, H. A. Reinhold, Hilaire Belloc, and many others on the development of Catholic social, economic, and political thought, with a special focus on Belloc and Reinhold as representatives of reactionary and progressive positions, respectively. He also provides an in-depth analysis of Catholic Distributists’ responses to the labor unrest in Britain prior to World War I and later, in the 1930s, to the tragedy of the Spanish Civil War and the forces of fascism and communism.

The Challenge of Democracy

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780395774496
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (744 download)

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Book Synopsis The Challenge of Democracy by : Kenneth Janda

Download or read book The Challenge of Democracy written by Kenneth Janda and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Technocratic Challenge to Democracy

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1000043606
Total Pages : 243 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis The Technocratic Challenge to Democracy by : Eri Bertsou

Download or read book The Technocratic Challenge to Democracy written by Eri Bertsou and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-03-09 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book represents the first comprehensive study of how technocracy currently challenges representative democracy and asks how technocratic politics undermines democratic legitimacy. How strong is its challenge to democratic institutions? The book offers a solid theory and conceptualization of technocratic politics and the technocratic challenge is analyzed empirically at all levels of the national and supra-national institutions and actors, such as cabinets, parties, the EU, independent bodies, central banks and direct democratic campaigns in a comparative and policy perspective. It takes an in-depth analysis addressing elitism, meritocracy, de-politicization, efficiency, neutrality, reliance on science and distrust toward party politics and ideologies, and their impact when pitched against democratic responsiveness, accountability, citizens' input and pluralist competition. In the current crisis of democracy, this book assesses the effects of the technocratic critique against representative institutions, which are perceived to be unable to deal with complex and global problems. It analyzes demands for competent and responsible policy making in combination with the simultaneous populist resistance to experts. The book will be of key interest to scholars and students of comparative politics, political theory, policy analysis, multi-level governance as well as practitioners working in bureaucracies, media, think-tanks and policy making.

Democracy and Crisis

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Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319725599
Total Pages : 373 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (197 download)

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Book Synopsis Democracy and Crisis by : Wolfgang Merkel

Download or read book Democracy and Crisis written by Wolfgang Merkel and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-03-08 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In light of the public and scholarly debates on the challenges and problems of established democracies, such as a lack of participation, declining confidence in political elites, and the deteriorating capabilities of democratic institutions, this volume discusses the question whether democracy as such is in crisis. On the basis of the shared concept of embedded democracy, it develops a range of conceptual approaches to empirically analyzing the challenges of democracy and their potential transformation into crisis phenomena. The book is divided into three parts, the first of which highlights various aspects of political participation, such as political inequality in voting. In turn, Part II focuses on problems of political representation, while Part III assesses whether processes such as globalization, deregulation, and the withdrawal of the state from important policy areas have limited the political control and legitimacy of democratically elected governments.

Challenges to Democratic Participation

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Publisher : Lexington Books
ISBN 13 : 0739191527
Total Pages : 157 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (391 download)

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Book Synopsis Challenges to Democratic Participation by : Andre Santos Campos

Download or read book Challenges to Democratic Participation written by Andre Santos Campos and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2014-04-02 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book gathers a series of studies by scholars who have dedicated these last few years to research in the field of participatory democracy. Their purpose is precisely to engage in a theoretical discussion about the value of participatory democracy in the 21st century. Part I deals with the challenge of antipolitics. This is one of the greatest challenges faced by contemporary democratic theory: How can it be possible to take into account in political decision-making processes those whose voices issue disagreement with the available alternatives in the exact same political decision-making processes, without simply excluding them provisionally from democratic participation? Part II focuses on challenges to deliberative systems. Deliberative democracy is probably the most important alternative conception of democracy in today’s available literature on the topic, insofar as it responds to a sort of general uneasiness with mere preference aggregation by majoritarian voting, and instead seeks to incorporate the vast spectrum of heterogeneous interests in modern societies in the search for mutually acceptable policies. However, it is also subject to specific theoretical challenges that must be overcome if it is to be taken seriously as a viable alternative for providing better conditions of political participation. Part II deals with some of those challenges, even if in a sympathetic attitude towards deliberative decision-making. Finally, Part III approaches pluralism and cultural diversity in a shared public space. Its main challenge consists in promoting an idea of active citizenship that can meet the demands of a world increasingly defined by the processes of globalization. Ultimately, that is what will end up combining a valid notion of active citizenship with effective decision-making procedures in pluralistic democracies. More than a simple summary of research, Challenges to Democratic Participation is designed to be accessible and useful to a wide variety of audiences, from scholars and practitioners working in numerous disciplines and fields, to activists and average citizens who are interested in seeking a theoretical groundwork for democratic practices; it also intends to enhance current scholarship, serving as a guide to existing research and identifying useful future research.

Facing the Challenge of Democracy

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Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400840309
Total Pages : 416 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis Facing the Challenge of Democracy by : Paul M. Sniderman

Download or read book Facing the Challenge of Democracy written by Paul M. Sniderman and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2011-10-10 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Citizens are political simpletons--that is only a modest exaggeration of a common characterization of voters. Certainly, there is no shortage of evidence of citizens' limited political knowledge, even about matters of the highest importance, along with inconsistencies in their thinking, some glaring by any standard. But this picture of citizens all too often approaches caricature. Paul Sniderman and Benjamin Highton bring together leading political scientists who offer new insights into the political thinking of the public, the causes of party polarization, the motivations for political participation, and the paradoxical relationship between turnout and democratic representation. These studies propel a foundational argument about democracy. Voters can only do as well as the alternatives on offer. These alternatives are constrained by third players, in particular activists, interest groups, and financial contributors. The result: voters often appear to be shortsighted, extreme, and inconsistent because the alternatives they must choose between are shortsighted, extreme, and inconsistent. Facing the Challenge of Democracy features contributions by John Aldrich, Stephen Ansolabehere, Edward Carmines, Jack Citrin, Susanna Dilliplane, Christopher Ellis, Michael Ensley, Melanie Freeze, Donald Green, Eitan Hersh, Simon Jackman, Gary Jacobson, Matthew Knee, Jonathan Krasno, Arthur Lupia, David Magleby, Eric McGhee, Diana Mutz, Candice Nelson, Benjamin Page, Kathryn Pearson, Eric Schickler, John Sides, James Stimson, Lynn Vavreck, Michael Wagner, Mark Westlye, and Tao Xie.

Activism, Inclusion, and the Challenges of Deliberative Democracy

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Author :
Publisher : UBC Press
ISBN 13 : 0774865199
Total Pages : 296 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (748 download)

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Book Synopsis Activism, Inclusion, and the Challenges of Deliberative Democracy by : Anna Drake

Download or read book Activism, Inclusion, and the Challenges of Deliberative Democracy written by Anna Drake and published by UBC Press. This book was released on 2021-03-01 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Deliberative democracy – whereby people debate competing ideas before agreeing upon political action – must rest on its capacity to include all points of view. But how does this inclusive framework engage with activism that occurs in opposition to deliberative systems themselves? Through the examples of ACT UP, Black Lives Matter, and other contemporary activist movements, Activism, Inclusion, and the Challenges of Deliberative Democracy explores the systemic oppression that prevents activists from participating in deliberative systems as equals. Anna Drake concludes that only by addressing activism separately and on its own terms can we acknowledge its distinct democratic contribution.

Democracy in the Age of Globalization and Mediatization

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Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 1137299878
Total Pages : 350 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (372 download)

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Book Synopsis Democracy in the Age of Globalization and Mediatization by : H. Kriesi

Download or read book Democracy in the Age of Globalization and Mediatization written by H. Kriesi and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-01-11 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides comprehensive coverage of the models of contemporary democracy; its social, cultural, economic and political prerequisites; its empirically existing varieties and its two major challenges - globalization and mediatization. The book also covers the global spread of democracy and its spread into supranational democracies.

Islam and the Challenge of Democracy

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Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691119384
Total Pages : 146 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

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Book Synopsis Islam and the Challenge of Democracy by : Khaled Abou El Fadl

Download or read book Islam and the Challenge of Democracy written by Khaled Abou El Fadl and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2004-03-28 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The events of September 11 and the subsequent war on terrorism have provoked widespread discussion about the possibility of democracy in the Islamic world. Such topics as the meaning of jihad, the role of clerics as authoritative interpreters, and the place of human rights and toleration in Islam have become subjects of urgent public debate around the world. With few exceptions, however, this debate has proceeded in isolation from the vibrant traditions of argument within Islamic theology, philosophy, and law. Islam and the Challenge of Democracy aims to correct this deficiency. The book engages the reader in a rich discourse on the challenges of democracy in contemporary Islam. The collection begins with a lead essay by Khaled Abou El Fadl, who argues that democracy, especially a constitutional democracy that protects basic individual rights, is the form of government best suited to promoting a set of social and political values central to Islam. Because Islam is about submission to God and about each individual's responsibility to serve as His agent on Earth, Abou El Fadl argues, there is no place for the subjugation to human authority demanded by authoritarian regimes. The lead essay is followed by eleven others from internationally respected specialists in democracy and religion. They address, challenge, and engage Abou El Fadl's work. The contributors include John Esposito, Muhammad Fadel, Noah Feldman, Nader Hashemi, Bernard Haykel, Muqtedar Khan, Saba Mahmood, David Novak, William Quandt, Kevin Reinhart, and Jeremy Waldron.