Can Democracy be Designed?
The Politics of Institutional Choice in Conflict-Torn Societies
Published on 1. June 2003
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-1-84277-150-1 (ISBN)
Description
Constitution-making for democracy has always been a highly political and contested process. It has never been more ambitious, or more difficult, than today as politicians and experts attempt to build democratic institutions that will foster peace and stability in countries torn by violent conflict. The extended investigation out of which this book has grown has ranged across three continents. It has examined such apparently intractable cases as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sri Lanka and Fiji, as well as apparent 'success stories' like South Africa, Ghana and Uganda.
The authors, while regarding democracy as a general entitlement, refuse to subscribe to a triumphalist view which sees it as a universal panacea. Instead they seek to understand how democratic institutions actually facilitate (or sometimes fail to facilitate) improved governance and the management of conflict in a variety of national settings.
This thoughtful and empirical set of explorations is highly relevant to other societies wrestling with similar problems of institutional design in situations of democratic transition and/or deep-seated social conflict.
The authors, while regarding democracy as a general entitlement, refuse to subscribe to a triumphalist view which sees it as a universal panacea. Instead they seek to understand how democratic institutions actually facilitate (or sometimes fail to facilitate) improved governance and the management of conflict in a variety of national settings.
This thoughtful and empirical set of explorations is highly relevant to other societies wrestling with similar problems of institutional design in situations of democratic transition and/or deep-seated social conflict.
Reviews / Votes
'These highly informed original contributions on the politics of institutional design offer a wealth of insights.'Martin Doornbos, Institute of Social Studies, the Hague
'The book reinforces a message that cannot be repeated too often, it seems, which is the need to relate institutions and institutional innovation to its specific political context.'
Vicky Randall, University of Essex
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
ISBN-13
978-1-84277-150-1 (9781842771501)
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
Sunil Bastian is Director of International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Colombo.
Robin Luckham was Research Associate at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, following early retirement.
Robin Luckham was Research Associate at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, following early retirement.
Content
Introduction: Can Democracy be Designed? - Sunil Bastian and Robin Luckham
1. Democratic Institutions and Democratic Politics and Political Violence - Robin Luckham, Anne Marie Goetz and Mary Kaldor
2. The Politics of Institutional Design in the South African Transition - David Pottie and Shireen Hassim
3. The Reformulation of Ugandan Democracy - James Katalikawe and Aaron Griffiths
4. Ghana: The Political Economy of 'Successful' Ethno-Regional Conflict Management - E. Gyimah-Boadi
5. The Politics of Institutional Design: An Overview of the Case of Sri Lanka - Radhika Coomaraswamy
6. Proportional Representation, Political Violence and the Participation of Women in the Political Process in Sri Lanka - Kishali Pinto Jayawardena
7. The Political Economy of Electoral Reform: Proportional Representation in Sri Lanka - Sunil Bastian
8. Electoral Engineering and the Politicization of Ethnic Frictions in Fiji - Jon Fraenkel
9. Building Democracy from the Outside: The Dayton Agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Marcus Fox
10. Managing Ethnic Conflicts: Democratic Decentralization in Bosnia-Hercegovina - Vesna Bojicic
11. Conclusion: The Politics of Institutional Choice - Sunil Bastian and Robin Luckham
1. Democratic Institutions and Democratic Politics and Political Violence - Robin Luckham, Anne Marie Goetz and Mary Kaldor
2. The Politics of Institutional Design in the South African Transition - David Pottie and Shireen Hassim
3. The Reformulation of Ugandan Democracy - James Katalikawe and Aaron Griffiths
4. Ghana: The Political Economy of 'Successful' Ethno-Regional Conflict Management - E. Gyimah-Boadi
5. The Politics of Institutional Design: An Overview of the Case of Sri Lanka - Radhika Coomaraswamy
6. Proportional Representation, Political Violence and the Participation of Women in the Political Process in Sri Lanka - Kishali Pinto Jayawardena
7. The Political Economy of Electoral Reform: Proportional Representation in Sri Lanka - Sunil Bastian
8. Electoral Engineering and the Politicization of Ethnic Frictions in Fiji - Jon Fraenkel
9. Building Democracy from the Outside: The Dayton Agreement in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Marcus Fox
10. Managing Ethnic Conflicts: Democratic Decentralization in Bosnia-Hercegovina - Vesna Bojicic
11. Conclusion: The Politics of Institutional Choice - Sunil Bastian and Robin Luckham