Centripetal Democracy

Centripetal Democracy PDF Author: Joseph Lacey
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192517155
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 363

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Book Description
Centripetal democracy is the idea that legitimate democratic institutions set in motion forms of citizen practice and representative behaviour that serve as powerful drivers of political identity formation. Partisan modes of political representation in the context of multifaceted electoral and direct democratic voting opportunities are emphasised on this model. There is, however, a strain of thought predominant in political theory that doubts the democratic capacities of political systems constituted by multiple public spheres. This view is referred to as the lingua franca thesis on sustainable democratic systems (LFT). Inadequate democratic institutions and acute demands to divide the political system (through devolution or secession), are predicted by this thesis. By combining an original normative democratic theory with a comparative analysis of how Belgium and Switzerland have variously managed to sustain themselves as multilingual democracies, this book identifies the main institutional features of a democratically legitimate European Union and the conditions required to bring it about. Part One presents a novel theory of democratic legitimacy and political identity formation on which subsequent analyses are based. Part Two defines the EU as a demoi-cracy and provides a thorough democratic assessment of this political system. Part Three explains why Belgium has largely succumbed to the centrifugal logic predicted by the LFT, while Switzerland apparently defies this logic. Part Four presents a model of centripetal democracy for the EU, one that would greatly reduce its democratic deficit and ensure that this political system does not succumb to the centrifugal forces expected by the LFT.

Centripetal Democracy

Centripetal Democracy PDF Author: Joseph Lacey
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192517155
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 363

Get Book Here

Book Description
Centripetal democracy is the idea that legitimate democratic institutions set in motion forms of citizen practice and representative behaviour that serve as powerful drivers of political identity formation. Partisan modes of political representation in the context of multifaceted electoral and direct democratic voting opportunities are emphasised on this model. There is, however, a strain of thought predominant in political theory that doubts the democratic capacities of political systems constituted by multiple public spheres. This view is referred to as the lingua franca thesis on sustainable democratic systems (LFT). Inadequate democratic institutions and acute demands to divide the political system (through devolution or secession), are predicted by this thesis. By combining an original normative democratic theory with a comparative analysis of how Belgium and Switzerland have variously managed to sustain themselves as multilingual democracies, this book identifies the main institutional features of a democratically legitimate European Union and the conditions required to bring it about. Part One presents a novel theory of democratic legitimacy and political identity formation on which subsequent analyses are based. Part Two defines the EU as a demoi-cracy and provides a thorough democratic assessment of this political system. Part Three explains why Belgium has largely succumbed to the centrifugal logic predicted by the LFT, while Switzerland apparently defies this logic. Part Four presents a model of centripetal democracy for the EU, one that would greatly reduce its democratic deficit and ensure that this political system does not succumb to the centrifugal forces expected by the LFT.

A Centripetal Theory of Democratic Governance

A Centripetal Theory of Democratic Governance PDF Author: John Gerring
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521710154
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 223

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Book Description
This book outlines the importance of political institutions in achieving good governance within a democratic polity.

Power Diffusion and Democracy

Power Diffusion and Democracy PDF Author: Julian Bernauer
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108606482
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description
Departing from the established literature connecting the political-institutional patterns of democracy with the quality of democracy, this book acknowledges that democracies, if they can be described as such, come in a wide range of formats. At the conceptual and theoretical level, the authors make an argument based on deliberation, redrawing power diffusion in terms of the four dimensions of proportionality, decentralisation, presidentialism and direct democracy, and considering the potential interactions between these aspects. Empirically, they assemble data on sixty-one democracies between 1990 and 2015 to assess the performance and legitimacy of democracy. Their findings demonstrate that while, for example, proportional power diffusion is associated with lower income inequality, there is no simple institutional solution to all societal problems. This book explains contemporary levels of power diffusion, their potential convergence and their manifestation at the subnational level in democracies including the United States, Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

Politics of Democratic Breakdown

Politics of Democratic Breakdown PDF Author: Gangsheng Bao
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000586189
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 407

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Book Description
Democratic breakdown as a political and historic event can impact the fate of millions, if not hundreds of millions of people, by changing the political complexion of a country. This book attempts to systematically explain why democracies collapse. The author's main theoretical argument is based on the examination of two factors. One is political cleavages among voters. These can cause serious political conflicts and may lead to fierce political confrontation and major upheaval at the society level. The other revolves around the types of political and institutional arrangements under democratic regimes. Centrifugal democratic regimes are likely to weaken government capacity or state capacity, rendering governments incapable of effectively resolving political conflicts and, when these two factors come together, political conflicts are less likely to be controlled effectively. These situations can evolve into serious political crises and eventually lead to the collapse of democratic regimes. The empirical research of this book is based on a comparative historical analysis of Germany, Nigeria, Chile, and India. Examining democratic collapses from both theoretical and empirical perspectives, this book will be of interest to those engaged in the study of democracy, Political Science, Comparative Politics, and Political Theory.

Origin and Performance of Democracy Profiles

Origin and Performance of Democracy Profiles PDF Author: Oliver Schlenkrich
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3658348801
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 378

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Book Description
This study has two central research questions: Do democracy profiles affect policy performance? And what causes democracy profiles? Oliver Schlenkrich conceptualizes and measures different democracy profiles (e.g., libertarian-majoritarian or egalitarian-majoritarian democracies) based on trade-offs between the central democracy dimensions of political freedom, political equality, and political and legal control. In addition, the study conceptually and empirically develops a typology of political performance. Regarding the first research question, the empirical analyses of about 80 democracies from 1974 to 2017 indicate that there is not an overall better performing democracy profile. Thereby, the democracy profiles do not have an immediate effect, instead their effects require a longer period of time to manifest. With respect to the second research question, the empirical findings show that several structural and cultural factors are relevant (e.g., British heritage or a competitive culture). This work is mainly based on Bayesian statistics to cope with the complexity of the data and models. About the authorOliver Schlenkrich works currently on the DFG research project ‘Causes of Transformation and Democracy Profiles: Empirical Findings of the Democracy Matrix’ located at the Institute of Political Science and Sociology, University of Wuerzburg, Germany. His research interests concern democracy, political culture, political participation, quality of statehood, and quantitative methods.

Conservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy

Conservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy PDF Author: Daniel Ziblatt
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521172998
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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Book Description
How do democracies form and what makes them die? Daniel Ziblatt revisits this timely and classic question in a wide-ranging historical narrative that traces the evolution of modern political democracy in Europe from its modest beginnings in 1830s Britain to Adolf Hitler's 1933 seizure of power in Weimar Germany. Based on rich historical and quantitative evidence, the book offers a major reinterpretation of European history and the question of how stable political democracy is achieved. The barriers to inclusive political rule, Ziblatt finds, were not inevitably overcome by unstoppable tides of socioeconomic change, a simple triumph of a growing middle class, or even by working class collective action. Instead, political democracy's fate surprisingly hinged on how conservative political parties - the historical defenders of power, wealth, and privilege - recast themselves and coped with the rise of their own radical right. With striking modern parallels, the book has vital implications for today's new and old democracies under siege.

Democracy in Divided Societies

Democracy in Divided Societies PDF Author: Ben Reilly
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521797306
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
This text examines the potential of electoral engineering as a mechanism of conflict management in divided societies. It focuses on the little-known experience of a number of divided societies which have used vote-pooling electoral systems.

Dictators, Democrats, and Development in Southeast Asia

Dictators, Democrats, and Development in Southeast Asia PDF Author: Michael T. Rock
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190619864
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 369

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Book Description
"An examination of how dictators and democrats in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand built and sustained pro-growth political coalitions"--

Democracy's Schools

Democracy's Schools PDF Author: Johann N. Neem
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 1421423219
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
The unknown history of American public education. At a time when Americans are debating the future of public education, Johann N. Neem tells the inspiring story of how and why Americans built a robust public school system in the decades between the Revolution and the Civil War. It’s a story in which ordinary people in towns across the country worked together to form districts and build schoolhouses and reformers sought to expand tax support and give every child a liberal education. By the time of the Civil War, most northern states had made common schools free, and many southern states were heading in the same direction. Americans made schooling a public good. Yet back then, like today, Americans disagreed over the kind of education needed, who should pay for it, and how schools should be governed. Neem explores the history and meaning of these disagreements. As Americans debated, teachers and students went about the daily work of teaching and learning. Neem takes us into the classrooms of yore so that we may experience public schools from the perspective of the people whose daily lives were most affected by them. Ultimately, Neem concludes, public schools encouraged a diverse people to see themselves as one nation. By studying the origins of America’s public schools, Neem urges us to focus on the defining features of democratic education: promoting equality, nurturing human beings, preparing citizens, and fostering civic solidarity.

Government

Government PDF Author: Thomas N. Ingram
Publisher: M.E. Sharpe
ISBN: 9780765635570
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 468

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Book Description
Most public administration texts overly compartmentalize the subject and don't interconnect the various specializations within government, which leaves a serious gap in preparing students for public service. Government: A Public Adminstration Perspective is designed to fill that void. It provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary view of government that includes perspectives from political science, political theory, international relations, organizational sociology, economics, and history. The text draws on classic and modern literature from all these areas to analyze government at four different levels--ideational, societal, organizational, and individual layers. It links public administration's various subfields--human resource management, budgeting, policy making, organizational theory, etc.--into a holistic framework for the study of government. It also includes an extensive bibliography drawing from American and Europen literature in support of the book's global, historical, and comparative approach.