Democracy in Crisis?
The Putney Debates 2023
Will be published approx. on 11. December 2025
Book
Hardback
216 pages
978-1-5099-8089-5 (ISBN)
Description
This volume explores the state of representative democracy on the global stage.
It does this against the backdrop of crises such as the US Capitol attack on 6 January 2021, recent refusals to accept election results in various countries, and attempts to restrict the voting franchise, as well as longer-term trends such as the rise of populism and declining trust in political elites.
The first substantive chapter examines representative democracy in theory, history and practice today. Taking the representative model as their point of departure, the subsequent chapters explore a range of themes in relation to this model.
The contributions include timely reappraisals of democracy in countries such as the UK and USA, with old, well-established democratic structures, as well as analyses of the state of democracy in regions such as Africa, Asia and South America, where democracy has had a more chequered history.
Across all of its chapters, the book invites readers to rethink fundamental questions about representative democracy: Why is it valuable? How should it be organised? Do steps need to be taken to strengthen representative democracy, and if so, what are those steps?
The volume's target audience - politicians, public servants and interested members of the public - are provided with arguments and evidence with which to form their own views at a time when the ideals and practices of representative democracy are being challenged around the world, and new ideas and initiatives to revitalise it are being debated and implemented.
It does this against the backdrop of crises such as the US Capitol attack on 6 January 2021, recent refusals to accept election results in various countries, and attempts to restrict the voting franchise, as well as longer-term trends such as the rise of populism and declining trust in political elites.
The first substantive chapter examines representative democracy in theory, history and practice today. Taking the representative model as their point of departure, the subsequent chapters explore a range of themes in relation to this model.
The contributions include timely reappraisals of democracy in countries such as the UK and USA, with old, well-established democratic structures, as well as analyses of the state of democracy in regions such as Africa, Asia and South America, where democracy has had a more chequered history.
Across all of its chapters, the book invites readers to rethink fundamental questions about representative democracy: Why is it valuable? How should it be organised? Do steps need to be taken to strengthen representative democracy, and if so, what are those steps?
The volume's target audience - politicians, public servants and interested members of the public - are provided with arguments and evidence with which to form their own views at a time when the ideals and practices of representative democracy are being challenged around the world, and new ideas and initiatives to revitalise it are being debated and implemented.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
493 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5099-8089-5 (9781509980895)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Richard Clary is Lecturer in Law, Harvard Law School, USA.
Zim Nwokora is Senior Lecturer in Politics & Policy Studies at Deakin University, Australia.
DJ Galligan is Emeritus Professor of Socio-Legal Studies, University of Oxford, UK.
Zim Nwokora is Senior Lecturer in Politics & Policy Studies at Deakin University, Australia.
DJ Galligan is Emeritus Professor of Socio-Legal Studies, University of Oxford, UK.
Content
Introduction: Debating the Crisis of Representative Democracy, Richard W Clary (Harvard University, USA) and Zim Nwokora (Deakin University, Australia)
1. Is Representative Democracy in Crisis? Richard W Clary (Harvard University, USA)
2. Democracy in Crisis: A Reply, Denis J Galligan (University of Oxford, UK)
3. The Challenge of Representative Democracy in Africa, Zim Nwokora (Deakin University, Australia)
4. India in Crisis: Hindu Nationalism and the Majoritarian State, Angana Chatterji (University of California Berkeley, USA)
5. Democratic Crisis in South America, Pedro Rubim Borges Fortes (State University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
6. Leadership in Democratic Systems
6.1. Assessing Leadership in Democratic Practice: Leadership and Democracy - Ritual Performance Versus Substantive Aspiration and Achievement: Some Reflections, Fui Tsikata (Reindorf Chambers, Ghana)
6.2. Same Old or Something New? The Leadership Crisis and Political Reconciliation in Contemporary Democracies, Alexandra Iancu and Bogdan Iancu (University of Bucharest, Romania)
7. Institutions of Government and their Role in Democracy
7.1. The Administrative State: Friend or Foe of Representative Democracy? Richard W Clary (Harvard University, USA)
7.2. The Impact of the Constitution, Paul Craig (University of Oxford, UK)
7.3. Dominance of the Executive, Sionaidh Douglas-Scott (Queen Mary University of London, UK)
7.4. Liberal Democracy and the Dangers of Meritocratic Depoliticization, Ruzha Smilova (Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Bulgaria)
7.5. Policy Processes and Democracy in Crisis, Frank Vibert (London School of Economics, UK)
8. Electoral Systems and Political Parties
8.1. Populism, Self-Restrain and the Political Parties, Daniel Smilov (Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Bulgaria)
8.2. The Politics of Internet Shutdowns, Nicole Stremlau (University of Oxford, UK)
8.3. Challenging the 'Crisis of Democracy' Narrative, Jurij Toplak (Fordham University USA)
9. Democracy Threatened from Within, The Honourable Malcolm Turnbull (Australia)
Conclusion: Democracy In Crisis: A Review, Denis J Galligan (University of Oxford, UK)
1. Is Representative Democracy in Crisis? Richard W Clary (Harvard University, USA)
2. Democracy in Crisis: A Reply, Denis J Galligan (University of Oxford, UK)
3. The Challenge of Representative Democracy in Africa, Zim Nwokora (Deakin University, Australia)
4. India in Crisis: Hindu Nationalism and the Majoritarian State, Angana Chatterji (University of California Berkeley, USA)
5. Democratic Crisis in South America, Pedro Rubim Borges Fortes (State University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
6. Leadership in Democratic Systems
6.1. Assessing Leadership in Democratic Practice: Leadership and Democracy - Ritual Performance Versus Substantive Aspiration and Achievement: Some Reflections, Fui Tsikata (Reindorf Chambers, Ghana)
6.2. Same Old or Something New? The Leadership Crisis and Political Reconciliation in Contemporary Democracies, Alexandra Iancu and Bogdan Iancu (University of Bucharest, Romania)
7. Institutions of Government and their Role in Democracy
7.1. The Administrative State: Friend or Foe of Representative Democracy? Richard W Clary (Harvard University, USA)
7.2. The Impact of the Constitution, Paul Craig (University of Oxford, UK)
7.3. Dominance of the Executive, Sionaidh Douglas-Scott (Queen Mary University of London, UK)
7.4. Liberal Democracy and the Dangers of Meritocratic Depoliticization, Ruzha Smilova (Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Bulgaria)
7.5. Policy Processes and Democracy in Crisis, Frank Vibert (London School of Economics, UK)
8. Electoral Systems and Political Parties
8.1. Populism, Self-Restrain and the Political Parties, Daniel Smilov (Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Bulgaria)
8.2. The Politics of Internet Shutdowns, Nicole Stremlau (University of Oxford, UK)
8.3. Challenging the 'Crisis of Democracy' Narrative, Jurij Toplak (Fordham University USA)
9. Democracy Threatened from Within, The Honourable Malcolm Turnbull (Australia)
Conclusion: Democracy In Crisis: A Review, Denis J Galligan (University of Oxford, UK)