Democracy Books

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Emergency Chronicles is perhaps the most comprehensive scholarly examination yet of the Emergency. Looking back more than four decades after Indira Gandhi stunned India and the world by suspending demo­cracy, historian Gyan Prakash argues forcefully that this was no momentary distortion in India's democratic record or a nightmare that came from nowhere and vanished without a trace, leaving only its villains and heroes."---Ajoy Bose, India Today"Gyan Prakash’s outstanding new book is the first historical narrative of one of the most important crises of democracy in the modern world. . . . The meticulous detail of Emergency Chronicles exposes a shameful chapter in India’s democratic history."---Rana Mitter, Financial Times"[An] acute analysis of the sudden collapse of democracy in India in the mid-1970s."---Pankaj Mishra, New York Review of Books"The chronicles themselves are fluently and persuasively recounted as a narrative history of the awful excesses inflicted on individuals and communities by and during the Emergency."---Mani Shankar Aiyar, Indian Express"Gyan Prakash’s excellent study . . . offers a genuinely riveting account of the decades leading up to the imposition of the emergency."---Priyamvada Gopal, Times Higher Education"Gyan Prakash’s Emergency Chronicles is perhaps the first work of historical scholarship on the subject, and Prakash, who is a historian at Princeton University, has deftly dealt with the subject, not only bringing out the larger historical context, but also peppering his narrative with some good fictional work and cinema produced during the times." * Financial Express *"[Prakash] puts Emergency in perspective."---Sandeep Sinha, The Tribune"Prakash manages to tell the tale with the charm of a raconteur, and this should make it easy for generations of readers born long after 1975 to get a vivid, sepia-tinted picture of socialist India as well as the nationwide public unrest of those years."---Parsa V. Rao Jr., Gateway House"What sets [Emergency Chronicles] apart is [Prakash’s] effort to take back the cause-and-effect chain right up to the debates in the Constituent Assembly where ‘draconian’ measures were enshrined in the constitution."---Siddharth Singh, Open Magazine"Reading Emergency Chronicles is like entering a beautiful superstructure of ideas created with lucid writing and incisive arguments with a sprinkling of historical anecdotes."---Utpal Kumar, Sunday Guardian"A valuable work."---Ben Margulies, LSE Review of Books"Prakash has written a valuable work, which embodies important lessons and certainly speaks to contemporary issues. Emergency Chronicles reminds us that the horrors of our histories do not emerge from the clear blue sky, but from long traditions of (mis)rule. The book also warns us that democracy is a game played by equals – or else a rigged game, where someone is always threatening to take the ball and go home."---Ben Margulies, Democratic Audit UK"A meticulously researched book which is likely to find a space in the book shelves of scholars and observers of Indian politics."---Ayan Guha, Democratization

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[Carles Boix] helps us see change in a comparative and historical context."---Michael Cornfield, The Guardian"Democratic Capitalism at the Crossroads . . . takes a political science perspective on . . . deep trends in technology . . . Coming from a different perspective, Boix provides new-to-me insights, and particularly about similarities between the successive technological revolutions."---Diane Coyle, Enlightened Economist"The book initiates discussion on an important, underresearched and relevant subject. Lucidly written, it is well-informed and rich with tables and figures. Readers of political economy, social and economic history, managementand business studies would benefit from this book."---Sujay Ghosh, Democratization

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Ed A Hewett Book Prize, Association for Slavic, Eastern European, & Eurasian Studies""Rosenfeld’s book is essential reading for anyone interested in questions of development and democratisation. In its successful effort to illuminate the role of the middle class in promoting democracy, it should serve as an important reference point for future scholarship in the field. As such, it deserves wide attention."---Europe-Asia Studies, Zuzanna Brunarska"A must-read for anyone interested in autocratic politics. . . . The Autocratic Middle Class is a masterclass in the analysis of public opinion and an important contribution to the literature on autocratic politics and democratization.—Natalie Wenzell Letsa, Political Science Quarterly"

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Jervis-Shroeder Best Book Award"

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Democratic Federalism, offers a valuable and well-researched analysis of Federalism by highlighting several case studies worldwide, especially those from countries with emerging democracies. It is highly recommended for those interested in understanding the economic, legal, and political facets of democratic governance that ensures equal access to goods and services safeguards minorities' rights, and allows them to participate in democratic processes."---Aynur Unal, The Rest Journal

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"On War and Democracy is well written, well argued, and highly readable. Its most compelling points link a type of regime with how a regime wages war, a link that calls to mind the ethics of drones, torture, and other contemporary war tactics." * Choice *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Co-winner of the 2019 Goldsmith Book Prize for Academic Books, Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School""One of Foreign Affairs' Picks for Best of Books 2018"

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2010""Honorable Mention for the 2010 PROSE Award in Mathematics, Association of American Publishers""Mathematicians, economists, and political theorists have made their own attempts to elucidate the math of voting, and figure out better electoral systems. The story of these efforts is told in Numbers Rule. . . . Timely."---Anthony Gottlieb, New Yorker"Clear and energetic. . . Szpiro charts this history selectively and with the use of major characters to render vivid a story of rival systems, which can easily degenerate into equations. He is a mathematician and uses tables to illustrate his arguments: but these are accessible to simple understanding. He is also a journalist and thus can tell a story."---John Lloyd, Financial Times"Although voting problems manifest subtle mathematical complexities, Szpiro is an excellent communicator of mathematical concepts with a nimble ability to sidestep technical jargon. . . . An interesting, selective introduction into the complexities of voting reform."---Donald G. Saari, Times Higher Education"A history of social choice theory, with much more detail (yet still readable) than one is used to receiving on this topic. I liked this book very much."---Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution"I knew from reading Martin Gardner's columns that every voting system you can devise will occasionally turn up paradoxical results. . . . Szpiro walks you through the whole subject with very few equations."---John Derbyshire, National Review"Engaging storytelling . . . for a reader who is primarily interested in learning some of the historical context of the characters who have contributed to the mathematics of social choice theory, it is hard to imagine a better book."---Darren Glass, MAA Reviews"In Numbers Rule, mathematician and journalist Szpiro presents a refreshingly different presentation of the mathematics of voting and apportionment. . . . The mathematical content is not trivial, and it is well written, very clear, and should be accessible to readers with an understanding of arithmetic and a willingness to play with numbers." * Choice *"Highly entertaining. . . . Anybody who has ever decried election results will be fascinated in Szpiro's accessible explanations of the paradoxes and enigmas that occur in all methods of election, from electing a pope in Rome, to apportionment of seats in the Congress by our founding fathers to ensure justice for all, even the minority."---Phil Semler, Sacramento Book Review>"The author skillfully placed the development and evolution of the Social Choice theories in a broad historical context. The book shines in weaving the emergent math theories with historical circumstances. . . . [E]njoyable and informative."---Alexander Bogomolny, Cut the Knot"Szpiro's book is a highly recommended good read on the history of the problems, which could illuminate a seminar series on the issues."---Ron Johnston, Environment and Planning"It is an excellent addition to a growing body of literature that aims to convey ideas from the mathematical sciences to general audiences. Moreover, Szpiro's book is unique among other offerings in the mathematical social sciences in that it focuses on the historical development of the field. The narrative is engaging, witty, and easy to read."---Jonathan K. Hodge, Notices of the AMS"George Szpiro's Numbers Rule does not break any new ground in the field of social choice theory, but it is probably the most entertaining book one is likely to find on the subject. . . . [A]ll social choice theorists should read this book. . . .Szpiro's book is ideally suited to be a supplementary reading for graduate classes in social choice theory."---Justin Buchler, Public Choice

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Luebbert Best Book Award, Comparative Politics Section of the American Political Science Association""The book presents a compelling strategic explanation for the recognition of women’s voting rights. However, perhaps the most interesting aspect of this work is that it analyses the development of women’s enfranchisement in the general framework of the democratization process. The book helps to fill that gap and is a significant contribution toward a holistic understanding of the emergence and consolidation of democratic regimes."---Arantxa Elizondo, Democratization"This book is well worth reading and will probably disrupt the literature on democratisation and make its way onto reading lists in a variety of fields that deal with the enfranchisement of women and electoral reform. It is a very worthy book, deserving of high praise for clarity and common sense."---Nicoletta F. Gullace, History: Journal of the Historical Association

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Greenberg . . . a longtime critic of expanded state power after 9/11, draws a straight line between the early U.S. response to the attacks and the abuses of the Trump administration."---Quinta Jurecic, Washington Post"Subtle Tools strikes a . . . note of guarded hope for the rule of law against populist lawlessness."---Jonathan Stevenson, Survival"This is an expertly researched cri de coeur regarding recapturing the processes and procedures of American democracy, which Greenberg (Fordham Univ. School of Law) argues were lost in the 20 years between the 9/11 attacks and the present." * Choice *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Honorable Mention for the BAAS Book Prize, British Association for American Studies"

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Emergency Chronicles is perhaps the most comprehensive scholarly examination yet of the Emergency. Looking back more than four decades after Indira Gandhi stunned India and the world by suspending demo­cracy, historian Gyan Prakash argues forcefully that this was no momentary distortion in India's democratic record or a nightmare that came from nowhere and vanished without a trace, leaving only its villains and heroes."---Ajoy Bose, India Today"Gyan Prakash’s outstanding new book is the first historical narrative of one of the most important crises of democracy in the modern world. . . . The meticulous detail of Emergency Chronicles exposes a shameful chapter in India’s democratic history."---Rana Mitter, Financial Times"[An] acute analysis of the sudden collapse of democracy in India in the mid-1970s."---Pankaj Mishra, New York Review of Books"The chronicles themselves are fluently and persuasively recounted as a narrative history of the awful excesses inflicted on individuals and communities by and during the Emergency."---Mani Shankar Aiyar, Indian Express"Gyan Prakash’s excellent study . . . offers a genuinely riveting account of the decades leading up to the imposition of the emergency."---Priyamvada Gopal, Times Higher Education"Gyan Prakash’s Emergency Chronicles is perhaps the first work of historical scholarship on the subject, and Prakash, who is a historian at Princeton University, has deftly dealt with the subject, not only bringing out the larger historical context, but also peppering his narrative with some good fictional work and cinema produced during the times." * Financial Express *"[Prakash] puts Emergency in perspective."---Sandeep Sinha, The Tribune"Prakash manages to tell the tale with the charm of a raconteur, and this should make it easy for generations of readers born long after 1975 to get a vivid, sepia-tinted picture of socialist India as well as the nationwide public unrest of those years."---Parsa V. Rao Jr., Gateway House"What sets [Emergency Chronicles] apart is [Prakash’s] effort to take back the cause-and-effect chain right up to the debates in the Constituent Assembly where ‘draconian’ measures were enshrined in the constitution."---Siddharth Singh, Open Magazine"Reading Emergency Chronicles is like entering a beautiful superstructure of ideas created with lucid writing and incisive arguments with a sprinkling of historical anecdotes."---Utpal Kumar, Sunday Guardian"A valuable work."---Ben Margulies, LSE Review of Books"Prakash has written a valuable work, which embodies important lessons and certainly speaks to contemporary issues. Emergency Chronicles reminds us that the horrors of our histories do not emerge from the clear blue sky, but from long traditions of (mis)rule. The book also warns us that democracy is a game played by equals – or else a rigged game, where someone is always threatening to take the ball and go home."---Ben Margulies, Democratic Audit UK"A meticulously researched book which is likely to find a space in the book shelves of scholars and observers of Indian politics."---Ayan Guha, Democratization

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Longlisted for the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay Book Prize, New India Foundation""Nehru’s India is a revisionist tour de force that shatters Nehruvian mythology. The framing device, “a history in seven myths”, is an elegant contrivance: Sherman offers seven compressed surveys that controvert the catchphrases of the era. Its brevity conceals an ambitious book."---Pratinav Anil, Times Literary Supplement"Sherman has the natural flair of a storyteller. . . .a timely reappraisal of the early years of the state of India at a moment when Nehru’s legacy is being fought over."---Kavita Puri, The Spectator"Refreshing. . . . This book makes a profound intervention by re-evaluating Nehru’s allegedly contentious legacies, and his role as Prime Minister."---Shaikh Mujibur Rehman, Hindustan Times"As a scholar working on this very timeline, the book changed the ways I perceive Nehru’s India. Sherman’s premise of a history in seven myths serves as an unconventional guide for postcolonial scholars on how to circumvent the limitations of tracing a history when the leader under examination is the only available source in most cases. Nehru’s India demonstrates how to do this through alternative characterisations of the era."---Poorvi Gaur, LSE Review of Books"This book is both valuable and timely as it gives us the knowledge and the feel of Nehruvian India which remind us of what we desperately need in India today. . . .This book should be compulsory reading for those in government today."---Talmiz Ahmad, The Wire

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Illuminating. . . . Carlson packs the proceedings with intriguing insights and observations. It’s a fresh take on how guns and politics mix." * Publishers Weekly *"The author treats her subjects with respect and intellectual generosity, and her positioning of gun culture in democratic thought is a model of thoughtful scholarship." * Kirkus Reviews *"Carlson’s study will be welcomed by anyone angered, conflicted about, or interested in gun control and devotion to the right to bear arms in the U.S." * Library Journal *"Carlson takes on a topic of crucial importance: the relationship between conservative gun culture and the core commitments of American democracy. Along the way, she sheds fascinating new light on the factors that galvanized the largest gun-buying spree in the country’s history in 2020 and shaped how many Americans responded to the tumult of that year."---Matthew Lacombe, Science"As much as Carlson’s book is a work of sociological analysis, it is also a warning. . . . armed conservatives are working toward a democracy not of the ballot but of the bullet. As Carlson’s book shows, they’re well on their way."---Jack McCordick, The New Republic"Gun culture and its purveyors . . . are impor­tant for Carlson not just in themselves and because of their epically awful results, but as a window into the forces that threaten to unravel our society and our democracy. This book is a must-read for all who seek to understand those forces."---David Gushee, Christian Century

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Democratic Federalism, offers a valuable and well-researched analysis of Federalism by highlighting several case studies worldwide, especially those from countries with emerging democracies. It is highly recommended for those interested in understanding the economic, legal, and political facets of democratic governance that ensures equal access to goods and services safeguards minorities' rights, and allows them to participate in democratic processes."---Aynur Unal, The Rest Journal

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Book SynopsisHere, scholars address and critique the entire sweep of American political history. Focusing upon the major policy issues in politics and the major social forces shaping politics, these essays chronicle and evaluate the evolution of American politics and society over two and a quarter centuries.Table of ContentsState Development in the Early Republic - Substance and Structure, 1775-1840, Ronald P. Formisano; The Nationalization and Racialization of American Politics - Before, Beneath, and Between Parties, 1790-1850, David Waldstreicher; ""To one or another of these parties every man belongs"" - The American Political Experience from Andrew Jackson to the Civil War, Joel H. Silbey; Change and Continuity in the Party Period - the Substance and Structure of American politics, 1835-1885, Michael F. Holt; The Transformation of American Politics - Political Institutions and Public Policy, 1865-1910, Peter H. Argersinger; Democracy, Republicanism, and Efficiency - the Values of American Politics, 1885-1930, Richard Jensen; The Limits of Federal Power and Social Politics, 1910-1955, Anthony J. Badger; The Rise of Rights and Rights Consciousness in American Politics, 1930s and 1970s, James T. Patterson; The Two Majorities and the Puzzle of Modern American Politics - Economic Development, Issue Evolution, and Divided Government, 1955-2000, Byron E. Shafer.

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Book SynopsisAs populism presaging authoritarianism surges worldwide and political rights and civil liberties erode, pundits, politicians, and political scientists agree: democracy is in crisis. But where many blame the rise of neoliberalism, Kyong-Min Son suggests that a longer historical perspective is in order.Trade ReviewThe Eclipse of the Demos offers a striking account of the current fate of democracy in the North Atlantic world and puts paid to presentist accounts of neoliberalism and right-wing ascendance. By focusing on the distinctive contours of Cold War democratic theory and practice, the book sheds light on the historical trajectory of liberal democracy and how it relates both historically and conceptually to neoliberalism, while carefully contextualizing current modalities of democratic disaffiliation. Written with audacity and erudition, Son's book constitutes an important contribution to an accurate and sober understanding of the current travails of democracy." - Antonio Y. Vázquez-Arroyo, author of Political Responsibility: Responding to Predicaments of Power"The critique of democracy by neoliberal thinkers like F. A. Hayek is often treated as a scandal, a basic sin against the ideology of the free society. Yet Kyong-Min Son's illuminating book shows that skepticism about democracy ran down the mainstream of scholarly conversation after 1945. There was no Golden Age. To understand the challenge to democracy posed by neoliberalism, we must reckon with the entire postwar period." - Quinn Slobodian, author of Globalists: The End of Empire and the Birth of Neoliberalism

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Book SynopsisHow political parties have changed in the age of social media.Trade Review'In this refreshing, imaginative and conceptually sophisticated book, Paolo Gerbaudo takes us on a compelling journey across Europe to understand the digitally native political parties at the forefront of a profound process of organizational evolution. Gerbaudo convincingly explains the positive and negative implications of this process, and why it matters for the future of democracy' -- Andrew Chadwick, author of 'The Hybrid Media System: Politics and Power''In a historic moment when political parties are losing their capacity to represent citizens, new party models have grown and often achieved unexpected success. This book is an important contribution to the conceptualization of digital parties and the understanding of their evolution' -- Donatella Della Porta, Dean of the Institute for Humanities and the Social Sciences, Scuola Normale Superiore and author of 'Movement Parties in Times of Austerity''With a rare mix of narrative flair and analytical insight, Gerbaudo tells the riveting story of how tech-savvy leaders and 'connected outsiders' have reshaped politics in the digital era' -- John Postill, author of 'The Rise of Nerd Politics''Paolo Gerbaudo shows how the internet shapes contemporary politics and vice versa. A must read for everyone interested in digital politics' -- Christian Fuchs, author of 'Digital Demagogues: Authoritarian Capitalism in the Age of Trump and Twitter''Gerbaudo shows how technology-based "platform parties" are designed, how they fit into the history of political parties, and how they reflect changes in politics, society, economics, and communication. This rich analysis looks at both the promise and the limitations of these fascinating political experiments' -- Lance Bennett, University of Washington'This book by Paolo Gerbaudo goes deep into the "morbid" crossroads of our present and offers us suggestive ideas on the key elements of its emerging political practice. A brilliant work' -- German Cano, University of Alcala de Henares, member of the founding group of Podemos'A wide-ranging, and international, survey of those parties that have gone furthest to embrace the organisational changes the new modes of communication demand of us all and as such is a compelling read for the future of politics' -- Philosophy FootballTable of ContentsSeries Preface Acknowledgements Introduction 1. The Party Strikes Back 2. The People of the Web 3. When the Party Mimics Facebook 4. Participationism 5. Death of the Party Cadre 6. Coding Democracy 7. Plebiscitarianism 2.0 8. The Hyperleader 9. The Superbase Conclusion Appendix Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisHow political parties have changed in the age of social media.Trade Review'In this refreshing, imaginative and conceptually sophisticated book, Paolo Gerbaudo takes us on a compelling journey across Europe to understand the digitally native political parties at the forefront of a profound process of organizational evolution. Gerbaudo convincingly explains the positive and negative implications of this process, and why it matters for the future of democracy' -- Andrew Chadwick, author of 'The Hybrid Media System: Politics and Power''In a historic moment when political parties are losing their capacity to represent citizens, new party models have grown and often achieved unexpected success. This book is an important contribution to the conceptualization of digital parties and the understanding of their evolution' -- Donatella Della Porta, Dean of the Institute for Humanities and the Social Sciences, Scuola Normale Superiore and author of 'Movement Parties in Times of Austerity''With a rare mix of narrative flair and analytical insight, Gerbaudo tells the riveting story of how tech-savvy leaders and 'connected outsiders' have reshaped politics in the digital era' -- John Postill, author of 'The Rise of Nerd Politics''Paolo Gerbaudo shows how the internet shapes contemporary politics and vice versa. A must read for everyone interested in digital politics' -- Christian Fuchs, author of 'Digital Demagogues: Authoritarian Capitalism in the Age of Trump and Twitter''Gerbaudo shows how technology-based "platform parties" are designed, how they fit into the history of political parties, and how they reflect changes in politics, society, economics, and communication. This rich analysis looks at both the promise and the limitations of these fascinating political experiments' -- Lance Bennett, University of Washington'This book by Paolo Gerbaudo goes deep into the "morbid" crossroads of our present and offers us suggestive ideas on the key elements of its emerging political practice. A brilliant work' -- German Cano, University of Alcala de Henares, member of the founding group of Podemos'A wide-ranging, and international, survey of those parties that have gone furthest to embrace the organisational changes the new modes of communication demand of us all and as such is a compelling read for the future of politics' -- Philosophy FootballTable of ContentsSeries Preface Acknowledgements Introduction 1. The Party Strikes Back 2. The People of the Web 3. When the Party Mimics Facebook 4. Participationism 5. Death of the Party Cadre 6. Coding Democracy 7. Plebiscitarianism 2.0 8. The Hyperleader 9. The Superbase Conclusion Appendix Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA critical engagement with citizen participation, state power and the difficulties of realising the principles of participatory democracyTrade Review'Takes readers deep inside the interworking of the one of world's most well-known participatory experiences. Albert's excellent contribution to the study of citizen participation illuminates the problems of embedding participatory democracy inside existing state structures' -- Dr. Brian Wampler, Professor of Political Science, Boise State University (USA)Table of ContentsList of Figures and Tables List of Abbreviations Series Preface Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Democratisation, Reform and Participation in Brazil 2. Rituals and Ritualisation 3. Participatory Budgeting: Ritualisations of Petitioning and Power 4. Embedded Participatory Institutions: The Urban Development Council and the Housing Council 5. Shared Practices, Contrasting Ideologies 6. Backstage Conclusion: Reimagining Participatory Democracy Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisWhere does the left go from here?Trade Review‘Rigorously reflecting on the choreography of contemporary left-wing experiments flirting with left populism in crisis-ridden Europe, Prentoulis offers a challenging first assessment of its political advances, limitations and potential for left strategy’ -- Yannis Stavrakakis, Professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece‘An outstanding contribution to understand the shortcomings and yet potentials of the left populist experience … explains what left populism modestly achieved but also points very convincingly to what it has to do in the future to promote the values of equality, social justice and internationalism’ -- Óscar García Agustín, Associate Professor at Aalborg University, Denmark‘An important, timely appraisal of the European left, one that will inform and inspire activists’ -- Manuel Cortes, General Secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA)‘It’s been a dramatic decade for left-wing political projects in Greece, Spain, and the UK. Through personal experience, a wealth of interviews and analysis, Prentoulis pulls together an assessment which is vital for anyone who wants to understand the post-crash upsurge of radical politics in Europe’ -- Nick Dearden, Director of Global Justice NowTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction: Why Left Populism? 1. The Politics of Left Populism after the Global Financial Crisis 2. Grassroots Resistance, Austerity and the ‘Populist Moment’ 3. Creating a Party for the Twenty-First Century: New Parties, New Structures? 4. Left Populism at Elections: Rhetoric and Programmes 5. The Institutionalisation of the Populist Promise 6. Europe and Its ‘Peoples’: Negotiating Sovereignty Conclusion: Where We Are Today with Left Populism Notes Index

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Book SynopsisWhere does the left go from here?Trade Review‘Rigorously reflecting on the choreography of contemporary left-wing experiments flirting with left populism in crisis-ridden Europe, Prentoulis offers a challenging first assessment of its political advances, limitations and potential for left strategy’ -- Yannis Stavrakakis, Professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece‘An outstanding contribution to understand the shortcomings and yet potentials of the left populist experience … explains what left populism modestly achieved but also points very convincingly to what it has to do in the future to promote the values of equality, social justice and internationalism’ -- Óscar García Agustín, Associate Professor at Aalborg University, Denmark‘An important, timely appraisal of the European left, one that will inform and inspire activists’ -- Manuel Cortes, General Secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA)‘It’s been a dramatic decade for left-wing political projects in Greece, Spain, and the UK. Through personal experience, a wealth of interviews and analysis, Prentoulis pulls together an assessment which is vital for anyone who wants to understand the post-crash upsurge of radical politics in Europe’ -- Nick Dearden, Director of Global Justice NowTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction: Why Left Populism? 1. The Politics of Left Populism after the Global Financial Crisis 2. Grassroots Resistance, Austerity and the ‘Populist Moment’ 3. Creating a Party for the Twenty-First Century: New Parties, New Structures? 4. Left Populism at Elections: Rhetoric and Programmes 5. The Institutionalisation of the Populist Promise 6. Europe and Its ‘Peoples’: Negotiating Sovereignty Conclusion: Where We Are Today with Left Populism Notes Index

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Book SynopsisA re-examination of both the traditional theories of western democracy and the stereotypical accounts of oriental despotism. The author draws on archaeological evidence as well as more recent historical material and provides a new interpretation of the origins of contemporary political thought.Trade Review'Patricia Springborg takes as the centre of her history of Western politics kingship instead of the city state, Egypt and Mesopotamia instead of Greece and Rome, and obliges us to look at the Greco-Roman West in a Hellenistic and Nilotic perspective. The result is a brilliant inversion of what she considers to be a perversion of history, and may well become a classic of post-liberal or neo-liberal thinking.' J. G. A. Pocock, Johns Hopkins University 'A bold book ... Western Republicanism and the Oriental Prince is a call to modern historiography to be more open-minded on the one hand, and more sceptical on the other.' Times Higher Education SupplementTable of ContentsAcknowledgements. Introduction. Part I. The Greek Polis Versus the 'Great King':. 1. Pluralistic Structures and State Power. 2. Greeks and Barbarians, Freedom and Slavery. 3. Ionian Historia and Kulturgeschichte. 4. Polybius, on Monarchy, Freedom and Tyranny. 5. Patronage, Magnificence and Title to Rule. 6. Plato and the Egyptian Story. 7. Hesiod and Oriental Cosmogonies. 8. Foundation Myths and their Modes. 9. Philological Evidence: Gods, Goddesses and Place Names. 10. Herodotus, Diodorus, Isocrates and the Historical Record. Part II. Renaissance Republicanism and the Eastern Marcher Lord: 1. Republic and Empire. 2. Aristotelian Republicanism or Renaissance Platonism?. 3. The Roman Legacy: Justice, Peace, Harmony and Grandezza. 4. Machiavelli on Hellenistic Expansionism and Economic Needs. 5. Machiavelli, the Marcher Lords and War. 6. Machiavelli and Polybius on the Predatory and Personalistic State. 7. Polybius and Machiavelli on Patronage and Corruption. 8. The Islamic Mirrors of Princes. 9. Ibn Khaldun and the Cycle of Regimes. 10. La Serenissima and the Sublime Porte. Conclusion. References.

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Book SynopsisThis is a major textbook in European politics. Comparative in approach, it examines the problems of West European democracies in the era of the Single European Act and the Treaty of Maastricht. Allum discusses the politics of the four major Western European countries -- Britain, France, Germany and Italy.Trade Review"It is highly readable and a book I shall recommend to students." Jack Hayward, Centre for European Politics, University of Oxford "This book has much to commend it, not least its highly convincing attempt to fuse a 'conventional' political science approach with a public policy framework to offer a deeper understanding of western Europe's political systems ... the rather unorthodox comparative framework is one [students of German politics] may find stimulating." German Politics "Very impressive." West European Politics "This enormously ambitious work adopts a conventional thematic approach based on case studies of Britain, France, (West) Germany and Italy, but sets different priorities to those of other available textbooks. Explicitly analytical, it examines the relationship between the democratic constitutional state and capitalist society in Western Europe ... Its depth and comprehensiveness would recommend it as a 'review' text." Political Studies "State and Society in Western Europe will prove to be a major textbook on European institutions and developments. It is a highly readable contemporary and comparative presentation of four European democracies and their institutions." Times Higher Education SupplementTable of ContentsList of Figures. List of Tables. Introduction. Part I: The Economic System: . 1. Mixed Economies. Part II: Civil Society: . 2. Class, Gender and Race. 3. The Forming of Civil Society. 4. The Changing of Civil Society. 5. Parties and Party Systems. 6. Groups and Interest Intermediation. Part III: The State:. 7. Government and Executive Power. 8. Public Administration and the Policy Process. 9. Subcentral Government and Centre-Local Relations. 10. The State and Invisible Power. 11. Actual Democracy in Western Europe since the War. Notes. References. Index.

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Book Synopsisaeo The book highlights the importance of the autonomy of counter--elites of social movements in the move to more democratic and egalitarian Western democracies. aeo The author combines a liberal, democratic elite perspective with a progessive, egalitarian orientation.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements. Introduction. Part I: Elites and Classes: Bringing Elites Back In. 1. Why Class Theory has Overshadowed Elite Theory: A Matter of Coincidence. 2. Why Class Theory Should not have Overshadowed Elite Theory: A Matter of Democracy. Part II: The Autonomy of Elites and Western thought. 3. Democratic Elite Theory. 4. Other Theories: A Comparison. Part III: The Demo-Elite Perspective. 5. The Autonomy of Elites and Democracy. 6. Elite Autonomy Versus Co-operation and the Historical Development of Democracy. Part IV: The Autonomy of Elites and the Success (or Failure) of Democracy. 7. Stabilization Versus Breakdown of Democracy: The Cases of Britain and Germany. 8. Problems of Transition to Democracy in eastern Europe: The Cases of the Soviet Union and Poland. Part V: Meanwhile in the West: Problems and Potential of Democracy. 9. Elite Autonomy Under Siege and Problems of Western Democracy. 10. Social Protest Movements and the Potential of Western Democracy. Conclusion. References.

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Book SynopsisThis study re-examines the nature of Greek politics and democracy, and explores the ways in which they have been perceived since the Renaissance. It shows how the nature of political life in Ancient Greece has been interpreted and re-interpreted throughout the centuries.Trade Review"The clear product of vast learning and energy." Australian Journal of Politics and History "The sense of engagement is exhilarating." Common Knowledge "These innovative recent studies of a master ancient historian are now available in a lucid, perceptive translation. Vidal-Naquet, in the tradition of Arnaldo Mornigliano and Moses Finley and with their range and strategies, dissects the cult of antiquity in 18th- and 19th-century France, revealing how 'the Greek miracle' was created by modern intrustions into the essentially alien nature of Classical Greece and by 'mythologized' adaptations to contemporary purposes. In the expanding field of the classical tradition here is new enlightenment by a luminous historian." Meyer Reinhold, Institute for the Classical Tradition, Boston University "Vidal-Naquet is one of the foremost scholars of the ancient Greeks' realm of imaginary representations. His learning is stupendous, land in this book he combines a deeply personal political engagement with formidable scholarship. Politics Ancient and Modern is both a plea for, and a triumphant demonstration of, the comparative and interdisciplinary character of the best in ancient Greek historical studies." Paul Cartledge, Clare College, CambridgeTable of ContentsTranslator's Note. Acknowledgement. Introduction: Athenian Democracy in 1788. 1. Plato, History and the Historians. 2. Atlantis and the Nations. 3. The Enlightenment in the Greek City-state. 4. The Formation of Bourgeois Athens. 5. The Place of Greece in the Imaginary Representations of the Men of the Revolution. 6. From Paris to Athens and Back. 7. Renan and the Greek Miracle. Index.

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Book SynopsisA new emphasis on diversity and difference is displacing older myths of nation or community. A new attention to gender, race, language or religion is disrupting earlier preoccupations with class. But the welcome extended to heterogeneity can bring with it a disturbing fragmentation and closure.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements. Introduction. 1. Fraternity. 2. So What's Wrong with the Individual?. 3. Universal Pretensions in Political Thought. 4. Citizenship and Feminist Theory. 5. Democracy and Difference. 6. Must Feminists Give up on Liberal Democracy?. 7. The Promise of Democracy. 8. Pluralism, Solidarity and Change. Index.

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Book Synopsisaeo Draws on a range of literature from international relations and organizational analysis to present a new understanding of the way NGOs work. aeo Numerous examples and two major case studies illustrate the arguments and present fresh material on the nature of NGOs.Trade Review'Hudock makes a highly original contribution to an NGO literature which has on the whole tended to be stronger on empirical detail than conceptual clarity. The book challenges the glibness of much of the current policy debate around the "capacity building" of developing country NGOs by those in the industrialized world by focusing on the wider relationships of power and accountability in which they are enmeshed. Precisely written and clearly argued, the book manages to inject a much needed dose of realism into the new civil society and development discourse.' David Lewis, Centre for Voluntary Organisation, Department of Social Policy, London School of Economics 'NGOs and Civil Society focuses on the roles of Southern non-governmental development organizations (NGOs) in strengthening civil societies, especially organizations and institutions that support the very poor. Hudock has made some important points, articulated some provocative ideas, and described some valuable examples ... it will generate useful debate.' David Brown, Institute for Development Research, Boston 'The book raises questions about relationships among NGOs, and provides a conceptual framework for understanding interdependence among NGOs. It also suggests how changing these relationships can increase the capacity of NGOs in developing countries.' Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 'Much has been written about civil society, democracy and the role of NGOs in resolving ethnic conflicts, but few books have explored the links between them. This short volume is a first attempt to redress the balance.' The Ethnic Conflict Research Digest 'The book helps bridge a gap in NGO literature whilst providing a good balance between theory and case study. The book should be useful to all interested in the role of NGOs within development. It is compact and concise and written to target a varied audience. In short, the book is a useful general introducion.' Progress in Development StudiesTable of ContentsGlossary. 1. Non-Governmental Organizations: Pawns or Practitioners. 2. The Ties that Bind: Northern NGOs' Relationships with Southern NGOs. 3. Analysing Institutional Interdependence: A Conceptual Framework. 4. Paying the Piper and Calling the Tune: Northern NGOs' Capacity Building Support for Southern NGOs. 5. Cascading Conditionalities and the Role of International Organizations in Capacity Building. 6. Sierra Leone and The Gambia: Case Studies of NGO Interdependence. 7. Sustainable Idealism: Innovative Financing Strategies and NGOs' Contribution to Civil Society Development. 8. Conclusions: 'Just Say No': Strengthening Southern NGOs' Capacity to Contribute to Civil Society. References. Index.

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Book Synopsisaeo An introduction to the contributions made by key contemporary political and social theorists to understanding democracy today. The book offers new insights into these thinkersa works by its particular focus.Trade Review"Into the turmoil of debate about the nature of liberal democracy comes this lucid and coherent collection of papers. While democracy may no longer have any serious enemies, its best friends are those who are able to state frankly where it needs improvement. There is much stimulating commentary in this book, which will inform the beginning student, provoke the established scholar, and perhaps challenge the social reformer." Graham Maddox, Professor Political Science, The University of New EnglandTable of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements. Contributors. Introduction: Liberal Democracy and its Critics: April Carter and Geoffrey Stokes . 1. Friedrich Hayek: Elitism and Democracy: Chandran Kukathas. 2. Hannah Arendt: Republicanism and Democracy: Margaret Canovan. 3. Vaclav Havel: Civil Society, Citizenship and Democracy: April Carter. 4. Jurgen Habermas and Deliberative Democracy: Martin Leet. 5. Richard Rorty: Postmodernism and a Pragmatic Defence of Democracy: Katherine Welton. 6. John Rawls: Liberal Democracy Restated: Jonathan Wolff. 7. Michael Walzer: Pluralism, Justice and Democracy: Mark Kingwell. 8. Charles Taylor: Selfhood, Community and Democracy: John Horton. 9. Carole Pateman: Participatory Democracy and Feminism: Barbara Sullivan. 10. Iris Marion Young: The Politics of Difference, Justice and Democracy: Don Fletcher. 11. Michel Foucault and Agonistic Democracy: Lois McNay. Index.

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Book Synopsisaeo An introduction to the contributions made by key contemporary political and social theorists to understanding democracy today. The book offers new insights into these thinkersa works by its particular focus.Trade Review"Into the turmoil of debate about the nature of liberal democracy comes this lucid and coherent collection of papers. While democracy may no longer have any serious enemies, its best friends are those who are able to state frankly where it needs improvement. There is much stimulating commentary in this book, which will inform the beginning student, provoke the established scholar, and perhaps challenge the social reformer." Graham Maddox, Professor Political Science, The University of New EnglandTable of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements. Contributors. Introduction: Liberal Democracy and its Critics: April Carter and Geoffrey Stokes . 1. Friedrich Hayek: Elitism and Democracy: Chandran Kukathas. 2. Hannah Arendt: Republicanism and Democracy: Margaret Canovan. 3. Vaclav Havel: Civil Society, Citizenship and Democracy: April Carter. 4. Jurgen Habermas and Deliberative Democracy: Martin Leet. 5. Richard Rorty: Postmodernism and a Pragmatic Defence of Democracy: Katherine Welton. 6. John Rawls: Liberal Democracy Restated: Jonathan Wolff. 7. Michael Walzer: Pluralism, Justice and Democracy: Mark Kingwell. 8. Charles Taylor: Selfhood, Community and Democracy: John Horton. 9. Carole Pateman: Participatory Democracy and Feminism: Barbara Sullivan. 10. Iris Marion Young: The Politics of Difference, Justice and Democracy: Don Fletcher. 11. Michel Foucault and Agonistic Democracy: Lois McNay. Index.

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Book SynopsisThe Terms of Democracy shows how democracy makes radical demands upon political leaders and citizens alike. By setting out the terms of democracy in a fresh and systematic way, Michael Saward provides compelling responses to many troubling questions in democratic theory.Trade Review"Saward's The Terms of Democracy is a masterpiece of both erudition and concision. The clear analytical style and crisp critical synopses make it one of the best brief guides to democratic theory available today." Robert E. Goodin, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University "An impressive statement of the case for democracy. The book provides a rare combination of rigorous philosophical argument about principles with a scrupulous assessment of institutional practices in the light of those principles." David Beetham, Professor of Politics, University of LeedsTable of ContentsIntroduction. Part I: Justification:. 1. Strategies for Justification. 2. The Grounds of Political Equality. Part II: Constituting Responsive Rule:. 3. Responsive Rule, Constitutionalism and Democratic Requirements. 4. Majority Rule and Direct Democracy. 5. Democratic Rights. 6. Democratic Institutions. Part III: Community and Constraint:. 7. Political Units for Democracy. 8. Constrained Democracy. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisDemocracy and democratization are now high on the political agenda, but there is growing indifference to the gap between rich and poor. Political equalities matter more than ever, while economic inequality is accepted almost as a fact of life. It is the separation between economic and political that lies at the heart of this book.Trade Review'In this important intervention, Anne Phillips, with her customary clarity, reconnects the case for political and economic equality without sacrificing the political recognition of difference. It may not be a fashionable argument, but it is one which needs to be read and debated widely in the face of entrenched inequalities of material and political resources.' Ruth Lister, University of Loughborough 'Anne Phillips has done it again! Which Equalities Matter? is at once a major theoretical contribution and a salutory political intervention.' Nancy Fraser, New School for Social Research 'In an age of growing inequality, Anne Phillips has written a timely and important book: a politically engaged, theoretically sophisticated, energetic and circumstantial argument for reversing the trend. Egalitarianism finds here a wonderfully lively and skilful defender.' Michael Walzer, Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton ‘An important new book.' The Guardian '[A] welcome contribution to current debates.' Journal of European Area StudiesTable of ContentsPreface vii 1 Democracy and Equality 1 2 Taking Difference Seriously 20 3 Does Economic Equality Matter? 44 4 From Access to Recognition 74 5 Deliberation and the Republic 99 6 Equal Yet Unequal? 124 Notes 134 Bibliography 143 Index 149

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Book SynopsisThis new textbook invites readers to explore their own responses to debates about democracya s meaning. It provides tools for thinking actively about democracy as a practice, an ideal, and a site of contestation.Trade Review"Saward’s short book is a refreshing account of the broad concerns of democracy which manages to be critical without being pessimistic. It will stimulate students into asking questions rather than trying to provide answers. It provides a general background reading for anyone interested in democratic theory, presenting different routes for students to pursue further study." Keith Dowding, London School of Economics and Political ScienceTable of ContentsIntroduction. 1. Is this Democracy?. 2. Narrating Democracy I. 3. Narrating Democracy II. 4. Five Challenges. 5. Reinventing Democracy. Conclusion. Glossary: Concepts of Democracy. A Guide to Further Reading. Notes. Bibliography. Index

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Book SynopsisIn response to the dominance of liberalism, some theorists have recently embraced the republican model as an attractive alternative.Trade Review“A thoughtful and nicely argued attempt to reinvigorate the tradition of classical republicanism and demonstrate its relevance for today's world.” Alan Patten, McGill University “John Maynor’s book is a welcome addition to the republican literature. It usefully distinguishes between different historical forms of republicanism and self-assuredly contributes to a modern public political philosophy of republican descent, offering a sustained defence of a republican approach to liberty, pluralism, multiculturalism and democratic contestation.” Dario Castiglione, University of Exeter “Following the lead of ‘Neo-Roman’ republicans such as Philip Pettit, John Maynor shows how the Machiavellian tradition can provide an attractive ideal for contemporary pluralistic societies. His bold suggestion is that the institutionalization of republican non-domination would require a substantial departure from well-established liberal assumptions. This is a timely contribution to an important debate.” Cécile Laborde, University College LondonTable of ContentsAcknowledgements. Introduction - Republicanism(s). Chapter 1 - Ideal of Polity. introduction. ancient liberty vs. modern liberty. positive and negative liberty. neo-Roman republican liberty. instrumental republicanism. conclusion. notes. Chapter 2 - Modern Republicanism: Liberty as Nondomination. introduction. instrumental republicanism revisited. three advantages associated with freedom as nondomination. modern republican instrumental goods constitute liberty as nondomination. the two powers of modern republicanism and personal self-development. conclusion. notes. Chapter 3 - The Challenge of the Cultural Marketplace: Modern Republicanism and the Neutral State. introduction. liberalism and republicanism: friends or allies. autonomy, individualism, and civic virtue. modern republicanism and state neutrality. the republican 'psychology' of civic virtue. social or state perfectionism. against state perfectionism. modern republican state perfectionism. republican quasi-perfectionism: threat or enhancement?. conclusion. notes. Chapter 4 - Without Regret: The Comprehensive Nature of Nondomination. introduction. political liberalism and the 'Idea of Public Reason'. constraint, regret, and overspill. modern republicanism: comprehensive or political?. modern republicanism and neutrality of aim. tracking values and the wide view of public reason. splitting the spheres. conclusion. notes. Chapter 5 - Factions and Diversity: A Modern Republican Dilemma. introduction. discord and diversity: the life and death of the republic. civil discord and stability: Machiavelli's break with the past. Rome vs. Florence. legitimate difference and diversity. good laws and institutions. coping with pluralism. lessons from Machiavelli. is a modern republican account of pluralism possible?. respecting the 'other'. conclusion. notes. Chapter 6 - Modern Republicanism and Democratic Contestatory Institutions. introduction. democracy and republican technology. neo-Roman republican technology: classical and modern. modern democratic contestation. nondomination and contestation. nondominating processes and outcomes:. democratic contestation. objections to modern republican democratic contestation. conclusion. notes. Chapter 7 - Modern Republican Civic Education and Social Norms. introduction. educating the republic. liberal approaches to civic education. a modern republican approach to civic education. modern republican social norms. nondomination as a social norm. conflict and norms. conclusion. notes. Conclusion. References. Index

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Book SynopsisIn his controversial new book, Thomas Meyer argues that the media are transforming traditional party democracy into media democracy''. Political elites submit to the mass media''s formulas in the hope of salvaging some influence over their public images. The media thus colonize politics, and the politicans'' self-interest turns them into accomplices. Politics and the media have formed a partnership to conduct their main business: adopting well-tested formulas from the theatre to media productions. The public begins to respond to politics as an aesthetic phenomenon, losing sight of the principles that make political action unique and sustain autonomy and democracy. Real power in the media is wielded by an iron triangle committed to the media''s logic of up-to-the-minute reportage: media-savvy political elites, pollsters and media executives. Democratic politics with its slow-paced processes has traditionally relied on parties, intermediary actors and the institutions of represTrade Review"Meyer has presented a clear and well-structured argument.The stages of the argument follow a logical structure, with a summary at the end of each chapter that covers the main points of the preceding argument ... this book is certainly a worthy and sober undertaking" Lee Salter, Political Studies ReviewTable of ContentsPreface: Media, Culture, and Politics. Part I The Logic of Politics. Chapter 1 Democratic Communication. Chapter 2 Political Logic. Chapter 3 Party Democracy. Chapter 4. Summary. Part II The Logic of Mass Media. Chapter5 Mass Media Logic. Chapter 6 Mass Media Economics. Chapter 7 Media Time and Political Time. Chapter 8 Summary. Part III The Process of Colonization. Chapter 9 Politics through the Lense of the Mass Media. Chapter 10 The Duplication of Politics. Chapter 11 Politics as Theater. Chapter 12 Summary. Part IV The Effects of Colonization. Chapter 13 The Persistence of the Political. Chapter 14 Politics as Pop-Culture. Chapter 15 Pre- Production and Co-Procuction. Chapter 16 Politics by Trial Balloon. Chapter 17 The Anaesthesia Effect. Chapter 18 Summary. Part V The Transformation of Representative Democracy. Chapter 19 The Marginalization of Representative Democracy. Chapter 20 Who holds Power in Media Democacy?. Chapter 21 Prospects for Party Democracy. Chapter 22 Summary. Part VI Prospects of Media Democracy. Chapter 23 The Internet: A Democratic Alternative?. Chapter 24 Balancing Democratic Gains and Losses. Chapter 25 Infotainment and Information. Chapter 26 Civil Society and the Media. Chapter 27 Summary. Conclusion: Democracy in Transition

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Book Synopsis* Muhlmann is highly regarded as one of the outstanding young scholars of journalism and political communication. * Polity recently published A Political History of Journalism by the same author. This book is designed as a companion volume; it focuses on the relation of journalism to democracy.Trade Review"Muhlmann's insightful analysis raises the reader's ability to understand the problematic of journalism in contemporary democracies." ChoiceTable of ContentsIntroduction. Chapter 1. Critiquing journalism: a difficult exercise. 1. The public: hostage to journalists. 2. Journalists: hostages to the public. 3. Two poles, two risks. What next? Chapter 2. The notion of 'public', and what can be expected of it. 1. The premises of the notion of 'public': liberal England in the seventeenth century. 2. Kant and the principle of publicity (Offentlichkeit). 3. French Enlightenment and American Enlightenment. 4. The denunciation of the naiveties of the notion of 'public': the problem of the domination of the 'homogenous' in democracy. Chapter 3. A first ideal-critique: the journalist-flâneur. 1. Varying the gaze. 2. An ambiguous and frustrating ideal. 3. Fruitless exasperation: Karl Kraus as a modern Sisyphus. Chapter 4. A second ideal-critique: the journalist-at-war. 1. The journalism of the young Karl Marx (1842-43). 2. The crisis of 1843: towards a radical critique of public space. 3. Journalism, an ongoing problem: Marx as journalist-at-war. Chapter 5. A third ideal-critique: journalism as a 'conflictual unifying' of the democratic community. 1. Gabriel Tarde and an answer to Gustave Le Bon. 2. The sociologists of Chicago (R. E. Park, H. M. Hughes) faced with the reality of an 'integrating' journalist. 3. The risk of myth. 4. Towards a 'conflictual unifying'. Two journalistic acts. Chapter 6. The limits inherent to the figure of the 'spectator', and what they tell us about democracy. 1. The journalism of decentring as the search for the limits of 'seeing'. 2. The Sartrean critique of the position of the spectator. 3. From the gaze to listening. Jean Hatzfeld on the Rwandan genocide. Epilogue.

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Book SynopsisIt is commonly assumed that the rise of modern democracies put an end to the spectacular and ceremonial aspects of political rule that were so characteristic of monarchies and other earlier regimes. The medieval idea that the king had two bodies - a mortal physical body and an eternal political body - strikes us today as alien and remote from our understanding of politics: with the transition from monarchy to modern representative democracy, the idea of the body politic was abandoned. Or was it? In this remarkable and highly original book Philip Manow shows that the body politic, though so often pronounced dead, remains alive in modern democracies. It is just one of the many ideas that we have inherited from our predecessors and that continue to shape our modern forms of political life. Why did the semi-circle become the main seating plan for modern parliaments? Why do we think that parliament should mirror the diversity of society? Why does the president''s motorcade always have Trade Review"Of value to specialists in the history of political theory and democratic institutions." Choice "Manow sheds fresh light on the pre-modern origins of our modern political institutions and practices and shows convincingly that all political power - including democracy - requires and produces its own political mythology." Orange Standard "This is a brilliant piece of historical and political analysis, tracing how imagery derived originally from the importance of the corporeal presence of monarchs continues to shape our ways of thinking about political institutions today. The design of parliamentary assemblies, the importance of the personal appearance of political figures and the value of continuity of persons occupying roles can all be seen afresh in the light of this central theme. It is probably the most original contribution to democratic theory for several years." Colin Crouch, University of WarwickTable of ContentsChapter One: Does the Republic Have a Body? Chapter Two: Parliament as Body Politic — House Seating Plans. 2.1 Does democracy have no images? 2.2 Basic parliamentary seating plans and how they came about. 2.3 The shadow of the king's body. 2.4 The parliamentarization of divine right doctrine. Chapter Three: Parliament as Body Politic — Immunity, Publicity, Proportionality and Discontinuity. 3.1 Republican body-snatching. 3.2 'A degree of sanctity' — parliamentary immunity. 3.3 The parliamentary puppet can speak! — the question of public debate. 3.4 'A recognizable likeness of the populace' — parliamentary proportionality. 3.5 Le parlement ne meurt jamais? Parliamentary discontinuity. 3.6 Farewell to the body of the people? Chapter Four: Democratic Bodies/Despotic Bodies. 4.1 Deputies and Doubles. 4.2 In corpore/in effigie (1). 4.3 In corpore/in effigie (2). 4.4 In corpore/in effigie (3). 4.5 Hot and cold representation. 4.6 Violent/thaumaturgic. 4.7 Dignitas/humanitas. 4.8 Disenchantment/Re-enchantment. Notes. Bibliography. Sources of illustrations.

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Book SynopsisThere has been a lively debate amongst political theorists about whether certain liberal concepts of democracy are so idealized that they lack relevance to real politics.Trade Review"McNay offers an insightful and persuasive critique of the social weightlessness of contemporary theories of radical democracy and an impassioned plea for grounding democratic theory in an account power, domination, and embodied social suffering. The Misguided Search for the Political is a radical critique of radical democratic theory, and an important new work from a provocative and original critical theorist."Amy Allen, Professor of Philosophy and Women's and Gender Studies, Dartmouth College"The book can be considered a success, as an incisive piece of critical theory but also – thanks to the accessible prose – as a critical introduction to the different radical democratic theories."Political Studies ReviewTable of ContentsAcknowledgements vi Introduction 1 1 Suffering and Social Weightlessness 28 2 The Unbearable Lightness of Theory: Mouffe’s Dissociative Agonism 67 3 Freedom beyond the Subject: Feminism, Agency and Agonism 98 4 All or Nothing: Rancière’s Ruptural Agonism 132 5 Pluralism and Practice: The Existential Agonism of Connolly and Tully 168 Conclusion: Political Theory as Critique: Reconsidering the Negative 207 Notes 220 References 226 Index 241

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Book SynopsisThere has been a lively debate amongst political theorists about whether certain liberal concepts of democracy are so idealized that they lack relevance to real politics.Trade Review"McNay offers an insightful and persuasive critique of the social weightlessness of contemporary theories of radical democracy and an impassioned plea for grounding democratic theory in an account power, domination, and embodied social suffering. The Misguided Search for the Political is a radical critique of radical democratic theory, and an important new work from a provocative and original critical theorist."Amy Allen, Professor of Philosophy and Women's and Gender Studies, Dartmouth College"The book can be considered a success, as an incisive piece of critical theory but also – thanks to the accessible prose – as a critical introduction to the different radical democratic theories."Political Studies ReviewTable of ContentsAcknowledgements vi Introduction 1 1 Suffering and Social Weightlessness 28 2 The Unbearable Lightness of Theory: Mouffe’s Dissociative Agonism 67 3 Freedom beyond the Subject: Feminism, Agency and Agonism 98 4 All or Nothing: Rancière’s Ruptural Agonism 132 5 Pluralism and Practice: The Existential Agonism of Connolly and Tully 168 Conclusion: Political Theory as Critique: Reconsidering the Negative 207 Notes 220 References 226 Index 241

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Book SynopsisThe concept of democratic freedom refers to more than the kind of freedom embodied by political institutions and procedures. Democratic freedom can only be properly understood if it is grasped as the expression of a culture of freedom that encompasses an entire form of life. Juliane Rebentisch's systematic and historical approach demonstrates that we can learn a great deal about the democratic culture of freedom from its philosophical critics. From Plato to Carl Schmitt, the critique of democratic culture has always been articulated as a critique of its ãaestheticization. Rebentisch defends various phenomena of aestheticization Ð from the irony typical of democratic citizens to the theatricality of the political Ð as constitutive elements of democratic culture and the notion of freedom at the heart of its ethical and political self-conception. This work will be of particular interest to students of Political Theory, Philosophy and Aesthetics.Trade Review"Highly Recomennded" ChoiceTable of ContentsIntroduction: Aestheticization Ð An Apologia Part I: An Antique Diagnosis of a Crisis 1. The Provocative Beauty of Democracy: Plato I. Freedom and Indeterminacy 2. The Slavery of the Tyrant 3. The Unstable Democrat 4. Clear-sighted, Processual and Totalized Weakness of Will 5. Weakness of Will or the Freedom from Oneself 6. The Unfree Opportunist 7. Many Jobs and Much Trespassing 8. The Occurrence of an Inner Nature or the Freedom Toward Self 9. Democrats and Theatre Types 10. Theatrocracy: The Fearlessly Judging Multitude 11. Masses and Mimesis 12. Self-Difference and Perfection Part II: The Ethical-Political Right of Irony 2. The Morality of Irony: Hegel 1. The Beginning of Morality in Socratic Irony 2. Socrates’ Divisive Work 3. Irony and the Practice of Truth 4. Hegel’s Critique of Kant 5. A Socratic Reformulation of the Moral Principle 6. Critique of the Romantics 7. Abstract and Subjective Freedom 8. Evil and the “Natural Will” 9. The Dialectic of Freedom 10. A Less Rigorous Concept of Self-Determination 11. Conflicts with and in Morality 12. Hegel’s Expulsion of Subjective Freedom from Ethical Life 13. The Riddle of Socratic Virtue and the Historicity of the Good 3. The Ethics of Aesthetic Existence: Kierkegaard 1. The Negative Freedom of Socratic Irony and its Romantic Superseding 2. Self-Enhancement and Forgetfulness-of-Self 3. The Impotent Seducer 4. The “Helmeted” Will and its Desperation in the Face of the Aesthetic 5. Repentance and Duty: The Freedom to Choose What One Already Is 6. One Sexism for Another 7. The Love of Divorced Society Ladies 8. Aesthetic and Aristocratic Exception 9. Common sinners 10. The Leap of Faith 11. Repetitions 4. Sovereignty in Romanticism: Schmitt 1. Aestheticization and Neutralization 2. A Look at an Orange 3. Alien Power 4. The Other in the Own and Decision 5. Political Anthropology 6. Schmitt and Kierkegaard 7. Political Theology 8. “Concrete Life” and Decision 9. Schmitt’s Rousseauism 10. Politics as a Critique of Politics Part III: Democracy and Aestheticization 5. The Spectacle of Democracy: Rousseau 1. The Irony of the Actor 2. The Public Expression of Indeterminacy 3. The Actress and Her Parodies 4. The Golden Mean 5. “Thy Magic Powers Reunite What Custom’s Sword Has Divided”: The Feast of the Brothers 6. All Brothers are also Men: The Problem of Male Self-Difference 7. The Two Paradoxes of the Social Contract 8. The Sovereignty of the Legislator and the Judgment of the “Common Man” 9. Another Kind of Equality 10. A Politicizable Boundary 11. The Two Bodies of the People 12. Representation and the Coding of Contingency 6. The Anaestheticization of the Political in Fascism: Benjamin 1. Charisma versus Ratio 2. Politicizing Art 3. Astonishment, Not Sympathy 4. The Look of the Stranger 5. Alienation 6. Adaptability and Revolution 7. Charisma and Democracy 8. Political Theatre 9. Post-Democracy and the Anaesthetizing of the Political: A Look Forward Notes Acknowledgements Origins of the Text Index

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Book SynopsisIn Quasi-Democracy? David Stewart and Keith Archer examine political parties and leadership selection in Alberta using mail-back surveys administered to voters who participated in the Conservative, Liberal, and NDP leadership conventions elections of the 1990s.Table of ContentsTables Preface 1. Party Democracy in Alberta? 2. The "United Right?" Lessons from the 1992 PC LeadershipElection 3. Electing the Premier 4. Electronic Fiasco: The 1994 Liberal Tele-Vote 5. A Party of "Communities?" The 1994 NDP LeadershipConvention 6. Gender Differences among Party Activists 7. Democracy, Representation and the Selection of Party Leaders 8. Quasi-Democracy? Lessons from Alberta Appendices; Notes; References; Index

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Book SynopsisThis book describes democracy as a contest of values. Equality and liberty, like justice and fairness, are among our ultimate ideals, but no single value is supreme.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments1 Democracy and Value Pluralism2 What Is the People? A Conceptual History of Civil Society3 From Ancient Virtues to Modern Values: Positive Liberty and the Creative Will4 The Teleology of Modern Time: Negative Liberty and Human Nature5 Splitting the Individual: The Subatomic Values of Liberalism6 Conservatism and the Temporal Order7 Socialism and the Power of Social Unity8 Democracy as a Pattern of DisagreementReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisThis volume, by eminent political scientist John Courtney, assesses the history and development of five “building blocks” of Canada’s electoral regime: the franchise, electoral districts, voter registration, election machinery, and plurality voting.Trade ReviewOverall, this is a very accessible volume, with well-informed and well-organised discussion of Canada’s democratic strengths and weaknesses. -- Marian Sawer * Australian Canadian Studies, Vol. 22, No. 2, 2004 & Vol. 23, No. 1, 2005 *The volume is pitched at a level that is accessible and interesting to senior undergraduate students, without compromising analytical sophistication. Elections should be required reading for students of elections and Canadian political history. -- Livianna Tossutti, Brock University * Canadian Journal of Political Science, December 2005 *Both as individual books, as well as the state goals of the Canadian Democratic Audit series, the analyses achieve what they set out to do. It is heartening to see that the state of politics is taken seriously, that there are difficult questions asked, systemic weaknesses are pointed out, and that these authors have the capacity to recommend what it is that might work better to develop a more inclusive and participatory democratic system. These books succeed in that they are moving into a territory that has a broad scope in challenging issues and institutions that set the stage for the major political categories of analysis. -- Robert Imre, University of Notre Dame, Australia * Political Studies Review, vol. 4, no 2, May 2006 *John C. Courtney is the leading scholar on the history, principles, and current practice of elections in Canada. Thus, he is the best choice to analyse the Canadian electoral system for the Canadian Democratic Audit series ... overall, Courtney’s volume is an even-handed comprehensive overview of the Canadian electoral system ... A great deal has been written about plurality voting, but few are as careful in their analysis as Courtney. -- Henry J. Jacek, McMaster University * The Canadian Historical Review, vol. 87, no.1 *Table of ContentsFigures and TablesForewordAcknowledgementsIntroduction1 The Rules of the Electoral Game2 Who Can Vote?3 From Gerrymandering to Independence: Territorially-Based Districts4 Registering Voters5 Electoral Machinery: From Partisanship to Professionalism6 Representation, Plurality Voting, and Democratic Deficit7 Auditing Canada’s Electoral Democracy Discussion QuestionsAppendix: Three Challenges and Possible ReformsGlossaryWorks CitedIndex

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