Democracy Books

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Book SynopsisThis edited volume presents the first comprehensive analysis of recall processes which have spread globally since the end of the Cold War, and which are now re-configuring the political dynamics of electoral democracy. Drawing on the expertise of country experts, the book provides a coherent and theoretically informed framework for mapping and evaluating this fast-evolving phenomenon. While the existing literature on the subject has so far focused on isolated single-country studies, the collection brings recall experiments to centre stage as it relates them to current crises in the traditional variants of representative democracy. It explains why the spread of recall innovations is set to continue, and to pass a threshold from inattention to urgent engagement. The authors further provide original insights into the rationale for recall, as well as guidance on minimising the accompanying risks.Table of ContentsChapter 1: The Politics of Recall ElectionsYanina Welp and Laurence WhiteheadChapter 2: Recall: Democratic Advance, Safety Valve, or Risky Adventure?Yanina Welp and Laurence WhiteheadChapter 3: The Political Theory of the Recall. A Study in the History of the IdeasMatt QvortrupChapter 4: The debate on the recall in France: imperative mandate or political irresponsibility under the Fifth Republic?Clara Egger and Raul Magni-BertonChapter 5: Recall Elections in the US: Its Long Past and Uncertain FutureJoshua SpivakChapter 6: Recall in Japan as a Measure of Vertical AccountabilityMitsuhiko Okamoto and Uwe SerdültChapter 7: Explaining institutional change towards recall in GermanyBrigitte Geißel and Stefan JungChapter 8: Recall Referendums in Central and Eastern Europe: From Citizen Accountability to Partisan Account SettlingSergiu MișcoiuChapter 9: The recall revival and its mixed implications for democracy: Evidence from Latin AmericaYanina Welp and Laurence WhiteheadChapter 10: Reselection and Deselection in the Political PartyJonathan White and Lea Ypi Chapter 11: Narratives of Executive Downfall: Recall, Impeachment, or Coup?Aníbal Pérez-LiñánChapter 12: On Reconciling Recall with RepresentationLaurence Whitehead

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Book SynopsisThe authors deal with the place of parliamentary politics in democracy. Apparently a truism, parliamentarism is in fact a missing research object in democratic theory, and a devalued institutional reference in democratic politics. Yet the parliamentary culture of politics historically explains the rise and fall of modern democracies.In the early twentieth century political thought the relationships between democracy and parliamentarism were at the focus of the agenda. In the postwar era the study of politics has taken the parliament for granted, meaning its analysis has been on the whole limited to concomitant factors, such as elections, party systems or the government-opposition divide. Even rhetorical studies have largely dealt with historical and linguistic aspects of argumentative reasoning, and parliaments have been merely considered institutions producing speeches and texts to be studied.By exploring democracy from the vantage point of parliamentary politics, the book advances a novel research perspective. Aimed at revising current debates on parliamentary politics, democratization and democratic theory, the authors argue the role of the parliamentary culture of politics in democracy, highlighting the argumentative, debating experience of politics to recast both some of democratic theory’s normative assumptions and real democracies’ reform potential.Trade Review"Parliamentarism and Democratic Theory" is a critically important work of exceptional scholarship and very higly recommended for academic library Political Sicence reference collections in general, and Parliamentary Democracy supplemental studies reading lists in particular. Midwest Book Review 1/2016Table of ContentsFrom the Contents: Part I: The Uses of Parliamentarism Parliamentary Emergency Powers: A Political Chimera? Questions in the House: Parliamentary Politics and the Rhetoric of 'Question-Time' Cambridge and Oxford Union Societies as Parliamentary Bodies 'Advanced Liberalism' and the Politics of Reform in Victorian Parliamentary Culture The Mandate in the Parliament Varieties of Anti-Parliamentarism in Europe Revising the Aggregative Role of Parliaments in a Fragmented World Part II: Debating Democratic Theory and Performance The Rhetorical Use of 'Parliamentarism' and the Interwar Crisis of Democracy Democracy and Compromise: Why Consensus is not Democratic? The Legitimacy Politics of the Theory of Aleatory Democracy The Paradox of Democratic Selection: Is Lottery Better than Voting? Can Deliberative Mini-Publics Help to Improve the Standards of Representative Democracy?

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Book SynopsisOver the early 21st century, democracy worldwide has deteriorated significantly. At the same time, new populist forces have appeared that challenge democracies through legal reforms. The stark contrast between Eastern and Western Europe in this respect is the focus of this collection of essays. The authors consider the 2008-2012 economic crisis to be at the root of the success of the populist parties and the rise of cultural backlash against liberal values. In turn, European governments’ responses to the crisis—mainly austerity measures demanded by IMF and the EU— help explain desenchantment with the European Union. These policies made the wider public feel that they were being left out of politics, and populist parties promised to return power to them. The contributors argue that polarization of the electorate can set in motion a radicalization that strengthens authoritarians at the expense of democrats. They also demonstrate that Eastern and Western Europe differ in their attitudes to the decline in quality of democracy. The studies consider how satisfied people are with the political changes they witness, and argue that seemingly more authoritarian attitudes in the East explain why people feel more satisfied with a defective democracy that empowers the populist-authoritarian political actors that they support.Table of ContentsIntroduction - Carlos García Rivero Part 1. Populism in Europe. Concept and context Chapter 1. The Quality of Democracy in Europe – Enrique Clari & Carlos García-Rivero Chapter 2. The Concept of Populism and Populist Democracy – Ángel Rivero Chapter 3. Mapping Populist Political Parties in Europe – Enrique Clari Chapter 4. On the Persistence of Radical-Right-Wing Populism in Europe: The Role of Grievances and Emotions – Hans-Georg Betz Part 2. Political Participation under Populism. Trends and Limits Chapter 5. The Limits of Democratic Competition. Evidence of the Asymmetrical Impact of Polarization on Europeans Political Attitudes and Behaviour – Enrique Clari and Carlos García-Rivero Chapter 6. Populist’s Voters’ Profiles in Different Electoral Calls. Lessons from Spain – Javier Antón-Merino, Sergio Pérez-Castaños and Marta Méndez-Juez Chapter 7. Ideological Congruence in the Extreme Right in Europe. Germany, Poland and Sweden in Comparative Perspective – Carlos García-Rivero and Hennie Kotzè Chapter 8. Internal Sanctions for the Rule of Law Breaches Under Art.7 TEU: Why is the EU Dragging its Feet? – Clara Portela and Ruth Ferrero Part 3. Populist Parties in Different European regions Chapter 9. Populism in Western vs Eastern Europe – José Rama and Andrés Santana Chapter 10. Populism in Southern Europe – Belén Fernández and Ángel Valencia Chapter 11. Populism in the Nordic countries – Eirikur Bergmann Conclusions. What Lies Ahead – Carlos García-Rivero About the Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[D]emocratic Reason is well-written and well-researched, and it offers a powerful, anti-elitist antidote to recent theoretical and empirical critiques of democracy."--Choice "Using social-psychology tools that few scholars of democracy incorporate into their work, Democratic Reason represents a valuable interdisciplinary approach to understanding democracy. It invites us to expand our mental horizons in ways that are rarely seen in the world of normative political theory. Written with superb clarity and a masterful command of both the democratic-theory literature and the empirical literature on voting behavior, Landemore dares to think outside the box, honoring her very own concept of cognitive diversity."--Julia Maskivker, Review of PoliticsTable of ContentsAcknowledgments xi Prologue xv CHAPTER ONE: The Maze and the Masses 1 *1. The Maze and the Masses 3 *2. On the Meaning of Democracy 10 *3. The Domain of Democratic Reason and the Circumstances of Politics 13 *4. Democratic Reason as Collective Intelligence of the People 17 *5. Overview of the Book 23 CHAPTER TWO: Democracy as the Rule of the Dumb Many? 27 *1. The Antidemocratic Prejudice in Contemporary Democratic Theory 29 *2. What's Wrong with the People? 31 CHAPTER THREE: A Selective Genealogy of the Epistemic Argument for Democracy 53 *1. The Myth of Protagoras: Universal Political Wisdom 55 *2. Aristotle's Feast: The More, the Wiser 59 *3. Machiavelli: Vox Populi, Vox Dei 64 *4. Spinoza: The Rational Majority 67 *5. Rousseau: The General Will Is Always Right 69 *6. Condorcet: Large Numbers and Smart Majorities 70 *7. John Stuart Mill: Epistemic Democrat or Epistemic Liberal? 75 *8. Dewey: Democracy and Social Intelligence 82 *9. Hayek: The Distributed Knowledge of Society 85 CHAPTER FOUR: First Mechanism of Democratic Reason: Inclusive Deliberation 89 *1. Deliberation: The Force of the Better Argument 90 *2. Deliberation as Problem Solving: Why More Cognitive Diversity Is Smarter 97 *3. Why More-Inclusive Deliberating Groups Are Smarter 104 *4. Representation 105 *5. Election versus Random Selection 108 CHAPTER FIVE: Epistemic Failures of Deliberation 118 *1. General Problems and Classical Solutions 120 *2. A Reply from Psychology: The Argumentative Theory of Reasoning 123 * Conclusion 143 CHAPTER SIX: Second Mechanism of Democratic Reason: Majority Rule 145 *1. The Condorcet Jury Theorem 147 *2. The Miracle of Aggregation 156 *3. Models of Cognitive Diversity 160 * Appendix 1: The Law of Large Numbers in the Condorcet Jury Theorem 166 * Appendix 2: The Logic of Cognitive Diversity in Judgment Aggregation 169 * Appendix 3: Information Markets and Democracy 173 CHAPTER SEVEN: Epistemic Failures of Majority Rule: Real and Imagined 185 *1. Politics of Judgment versus Politics of Interest and the Irrelevance of Arrow's Impossibility Theorem 185 *2. The Problem of Informational Free Riding 193 *3. The Problem of Voters' Systematic Biasesand Their "Rational Irrationality" 195 * Conclusion 206 CHAPTER EIGHT: Political Cognitivism: A Defense 208 *1. Political Decision Making as Imperfect Procedural Justice 210 *2. Political Cognitivism: Weak versus Strong 211 *3. The Three Sides of Political Questions 213 *4. Political Cognitivism: Culturalist versus Absolutist 217 *5. Implications for the Epistemic Argument for Democracy 219 *6. Status of the Standard: Postulate or Empirical Benchmark? 219 *7. The Antiauthoritarian Objection 223 * Conclusion 230 CONCLUSION: Democracy as a Gamble Worth Taking 232 *1. Summary 232 *2. Preconditions of Democratic Reason 233 *3. Limits of the Metaphor of the Maze 234 *4. Empirical Segue to the Theoretical Epistemic Claim 238 *5. The Wisdom of the Past Many and Democracy as a Learning Process 239 *6. Reason and Rationality 241 * Bibliography 243 Index 265

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Firepower is the best scholarly analysis of the National Rifle Association (NRA) yet published …. [Lacombe] effectively argues that the NRA has long been political, but that the form of its politics changed from its "quasi-governmental phase" (pre-1970s) to its "partisan phase" (1970s onward) …. Anyone interested in the NRA and gun politics today should read this book." * Choice *"Lacombe’s book is a worthy read because it provides a new lens through which to view the NRA and the development of the gun rights movement more broadly. Its reorientation of the discussion from material and partisan to psychological processes makes Firepower an important addition to any syllabus on gun politics and interest group politics."---Alexandra Filindra, Perspectives on Politics

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Surveying the post-Enlightenment era, this incisive account shows that our concerns with "fake news" have a long history, and that democracy and truth have often pulled in opposite directions. Drawing mostly on the American experiment, Rosenfeld analyzes political spin, the idealization of journalistic objectivity, and the echo chambers within which news is either believed or derided. She dives into such eclectic topics as Kant's 'Dare to know!' dictum, lie detectors, and oath-swearing. Rosenfeld's conclusion is sobering: even if the relationship between democracy and truth has long been vexed, the crisis facing Western democracies today is distinctly new." * The New Yorker *"In her short, sharp book, the historian Sophia Rosenfeld . . . [argues] that ever since its origins in the late 18th century, modern democracy has had a peculiar relationship to truth: the current crisis merely epitomises that. . . . All the biggest challenges of our time are transnational: mass migration, growing inequality, the onset of ecological Armageddon. It's arguable that the politics of the nation state have become at best irrelevant, and at worst a hindrance, to tackling such global challenges. The outlook is grim. Yet it's a tribute to the quality of this pithy, illuminating book that one nonetheless ends it provoked and inspired, rather than dispirited." * The Guardian *"Brilliantly lucid. . . . [Rosenfeld] provides the historical background necessary to understand our current truth crisis . . . [and] few historians are better positioned to tell this story than Rosenfeld. A professor of intellectual history at the University of Pennsylvania, she has devoted her career to exploring the ways that philosophical conversations during the Enlightenment and the age of revolutions shaped basic modern political concepts and presuppositions." * The Nation *"[E]xcellent and . . . elegantly written . . . Rosenfeld's central insight [is] that there never was a golden age; the relationship between democracy and truth has always been complicated, and has never been firmly settled. Rosenfeld shows that . . . the conflict over epistemic authority has been a structural feature of modern democracy since the beginning." * Project Syndicate *"In Democracy and Truth, Rosenfeld reveals how contestations over truth are part and parcel of the history of democratic theory and practice . . . In illuminating chapters on 'the problem of democratic truth,' intellectual expertise, populism in historical perspective. and 'democracy in an age of lies,' Rosenfeld explains how the democratic idea of truth never quite lived up to its promise of influence by persuasion rather than force. This problem at the core of modern democracies seems to be hidden in plain sight from today's political commentators." * Dissent *"A valuable historical guide to current debates about elitism and populism, Democracy and Truth poses the hardest of questions: can we maintain a constitutional government worthy of a free people in an age of widespread misinformation and fanaticism?" * David Bromwich, Yale University *"An essential guide to finding the roots of our current predicament, this short book provokes thought rather than simply assigning blame and consequently succeeds in the most important task of all: helping us navigate toward a revival of democracy at the very moment when it seems most under threat." * Lynn Hunt, author of History: Why It Matters *"One of our most audaciously gifted historians offers a deep, subtle, and suitably prickly examination of a newly vexing set of issues. Indispensable. Irresistible." * Don Herzog, University of Michigan Law School *"If you are a citizen concerned and not a little confused about the frantic assault on objective truth in today's United States, Sophia Rosenfeld's learned but extremely accessible book is a must-read. Democracy and Truth explains and reveals the historical and intellectual roots of the tension between the two values named in the title, and it shows that truth can prevail-but never without a fight." * Michael Tomasky, author of Left for Dead: The Life, Death, and Possible Resurrection of Progressive Politics in America *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewGorgeously written, humorous, compelling, life affirming -- Justin Webb * Mail on Sunday *Beautifully written and disarmingly candid . . . leavened with telling asides, poignant vignettes, painterly character sketches and an occasional corker of a joke -- Tony Allen-Mills * The Sunday Times *As a work of political literature A Promised Land is impressive. Obama is a gifted writer -- Gary Younge * Guardian *Barack Obama is as fine a writer as they come . . . the prose gorgeous in places, the detail granular and vivid -- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie * The New York Times *What is unexpected in A Promised Land is not its literary elegance but the former president's candour -- David Olusoga * Observer *I loved A Promised Land . . . President Obama is unusually honest about his experience in the White House, including how isolating it is to be the person who ultimately calls the shots. It's a fascinating look at what it's like to steer a country through challenging timesDeeply enjoyable . . . Obama is such a fluent and warm writer and so good at describing events and people * Daily Express *Beautifully written . . . it's probably the best volume of autobiography from a former president in modern times -- Sean O'Grady * Independent, ***** *Remarkably candid and beautifully written . . . It should bring inspiration for we Brits who want to build our own version of inclusive patriotism here at home -- David Lammy * i *Gives a very human insight into the White House * Stylist *To keep company with his elegant prose, complex conscience and unmistakable intelligence is a cool drink of water after four years of the other guy . . . -- Sam Leith * Spectator *Elegantly written ... Obama comes across as literary, tolerant and dignified. A gifted writer, he maintains the reader's interest for over 700 pages -- Eric Foner * TLS *Deeply enjoyable...Obama is such a fluent and warm writer and so good at describing events and people * Daily Express *His ability to put himself in the shoes of others - even those who treat him with open contempt - is admirable -- Financial TimesHonest, powerful and personal...a must read * OK! magazine *Table of Contents 1: PREFACE 2: PART ONE | THE BET 3: PART TWO | YES WE CAN 4: PART THREE | RENEGADE 5: PART FOUR | THE GOOD FIGHT 6: PART FIVE | THE WORLD AS IT IS 7: PART SIX | IN THE BARREL 8: PART SEVEN | ON THE HIGH WIRE 9: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 10: PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS 11: INDEX

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Book SynopsisPetitioning has a forgotten but essential role in the history of modern democracy. In the antebellum era, petitions gave North Americans, especially the disenfranchised, a critical tool to shape the political agenda. Daniel Carpenter shows how mass petitioning facilitated civil rights, voting, organizing, and other advances in liberty and equality.Trade ReviewA tour de force of prodigious research and muscular analysis. Carpenter persuasively demonstrates that petitions were critical to the process of democratization in nineteenth-century North America. Along the way, he sheds new light on a wide range of issues and episodes, many of which have previously escaped the notice of historians and political scientists. The book, quite simply, is eye-opening. -- Alexander Keyssar, author of Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?Democracy by Petition presents a magisterial view of an evolving political practice in which individuals and groups across North America seized the right to petition higher authorities for aid, redress, protection, or access. With riveting examples and clarifying analyses, Daniel Carpenter illuminates how Native Americans, African Americans, Irish Americans, Mexicans, French Canadians, women of all backgrounds, and many more became agents of political change, sharpening the possibility for real democracy by means of an antiquated though often effective tool: the paper prayer. A monumental achievement of political history, this book is crucial reading for anyone seeking to learn how democratic practices are forged through unexpected and ‘emergent’ politics. -- Tiya Miles, author of The Dawn of Detroit: A Chronicle of Slavery and Freedom in the City of the StraitsIn this landmark book, Daniel Carpenter demonstrates the essential role that petitioning has played in the politics of democratization. Drawing upon a massive data collection effort and deep archival research, Carpenter offers a new way of thinking about how the dialogue between government and citizens shapes political development. -- Eric Schickler, author of Racial Realignment: The Transformation of American Liberalism, 1932–1965An astonishing piece of scholarship, such as comes along once in a generation. Democracy by Petition urges us to reconsider what democracy is, how it extends beyond electoral politics, and how governance in North America actually works. -- Richard White, author of The Republic for Which It Stands: The United States during Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, 1865–1896Daniel Carpenter illuminates petitions as active agents of democratization, harnessed by diverse and divergent groups across North America—including Indigenous nations who refused removal and Black abolitionists who refused containment by an emergent ‘settler republic.’ As Democracy by Petition reveals, these efforts refashioned the petition itself from a humble plea into an instrument of political power. -- Lisa Brooks, author of Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s WarPossibly the most original work on democracy in 2021…Offers lessons that transcend the American experience, because it allows us to think about democracy and democratization as something far more diverse than the package of the Western Consensus. * Democracy Paradox *Daniel Carpenter’s Democracy by Petition is an extraordinary tour de force. In this extensively researched book, Carpenter places petitions at the forefront of the development of democracy in North America. He demonstrates how groups as distinct as French Canadians in Lower Canada, Indigenous nations throughout the continent as well as African Americans and women used petitions to seek redress and promote political change. Carpenter's book reshapes our understanding of the emergence of democracy in North America. It foregrounds the role of a largely overlooked set of diverse civil society actors and their novel political strategies in prompting democratic development. -- Seymour Martin Lipset Best Book Award Selection Committee

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Book SynopsisThe end of the Cold War was a "big bang" reminiscent of earlier moments after major wars, such as the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and the end of the World Wars in 1919 and 1945. Here John Ikenberry asks the question, what do states that win wars do with their newfound power and how do they use it to build order? In examining the postwar settTrade ReviewWinner of the Jervis-Shroeder Best Book Award "After Victory show[s] how international governance can serve the interests of hegemonic powers."--Robert Wright, The New York Times "This is a thought-provoking and elegantly written book and an important contribution to our understanding of postwar orders and institutions."--Peter Liberman, Political Science Quarterly "After Victory is a majestic work that combines many familiar but seemingly unrelated themes into one elegant package of exceptional theoretical and empirical sweep... It should have an enduring impact on the study and practice of international relations."--Journal of Politics "This pathbreaking work is one of the most important studies on international order to appear in many years. It will be required reading for all students and scholars of international relations."--Choice "The liberal argument that democratic regimes can make a dramatic difference in world affairs has finally achieved intellectual respectability, as this fine book so convincingly maintains."--Tony Smith, Foreign Affairs "This is unquestionably one of the most important books in the field of the past decade."--International Affairs

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Book SynopsisIndia is a democracy at bay. This compelling book puts the spotlight not on political leaders but on the murky workings of India’s deep state—from the police to the federal investigative and intelligence agencies. Traversing the Mumbai train blasts, the Kashmir insurgency, the Gujarat ‘war on terror’ and the Delhi riots, Josy Joseph reveals corruption and political agendas running through the core of agencies that should ensure justice and accountability, and shows how this has undermined democracy. In 2020, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, India’s democratic pillars suffered another blow: the arrest of activists, dissidents and journalists opposed to Narendra Modi’s government, some on dubious charges, others under stringent anti-terror laws. Some contend that Modi has simply perfected the art of subverting a democratic state’s security establishment, bending it to his will. With false arrests, the overlooking of right-wing Hindu terror, an establishment bias against Muslims and an unenviable human rights record that has often relied on extrajudicial killings or false testimonies, India’s domestic security institutions have become just another player in pursuit of power. How did this happen? And why does India, the world’s largest democracy, often subvert the very ideals of democratic politics when dealing with security challenges?Trade Review‘[The book] substantially reinforce[s] the grounds for rising international anxiety as to how far the ideals and political development of India are changing under the current government.’ -- Asian Affairs'['How to Subvert a Democracy'] is a testimony of the sheer brilliance of India's award-winning journalist Josy Joseph's insightful exploration into India's Deep State--the non-military security establishment.' -- The Muslim World Book Review‘An excellent account of all the ways in which elitism and oligarchic power structures have eroded the fabric and essence of democracies worldwide.’ -- Dawn'Moving and disturbing, How to Subvert a Democracy offers a deep dive into the state capture that has seized so many of India's institutions. Josy Joseph, with his long-time expertise in national security, has put together a richly researched investigation that unravels sordid tales of official abuse and neglect, with serious consequences for our democracy.' -- Shashi Tharoor, former UN Under-Secretary-General, Congress MP, and author of The Struggle for India's Soul'Josy Joseph is a reliable researcher and an artful narrator of contemporary India. The silent coup of Joseph's reckoning is not a warning. Instead, he maintains it has already happened, barely noticed. He offers in this book a collection of vignettes that show how and at what cost.' -- Adrian Levy, investigative journalist; foreign correspondent for the Sunday Times, and author of The Siege: Three Days of Terror Inside the Taj'In this compelling book by the award-winning journalist Josy Joseph, it is not India's political leaders who are under the spotlight but the murky workings of India's deep state, from the police to the federal investigative and intelligence agencies. Joseph depicts, through a variety of colourful characters, how corruption and political agendas run through the core of the agencies that should be responsible for justice and accountability, subverting democracy in the process.' -- Hannah Ellis-Petersen, South Asia correspondent for the Guardian

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewBonnie Honig concludes the introduction to this fine book by invoking the virago: the female warrior who will not be contained within categoriesthat oppose masculinity against femininity or human rationality against theforces of nature. It is a fitting emblem for a book that takes up and perturbs an opposition that functions variously to divide reason from violence, liberal humanism from poststructuralist skepticism, and feminine passivity from masculine bravado. This is the opposition between virtú and virtue, and Honig calibrates it against a new measure she terms the 'displacement of politics.'. (Praise for the 1st edition) * Political Theory *Honig's sharp genealogical sensibilities and insights, her development of a position of agonistic amendable authority, the questions which she raises and the soothing answers she refuses, come together in an excellent book that engages and provokes its readers in ways which exemplify political theory at its best, animated but not displaced by politics. (Praise for the 1st edition) * Journal of Politics *Thinkers as diverse as Plato, Aquinas, Hobbes, Locke, and Marx have relied,explicitly or implicitly, on the belief that there is some set of political and social arrangements most conducive to themaximization of human well-being and happiness. Bonnie Honig's illuminating and disquieting book provides an acute and much-needed analysis of some of the consequences and implications of this teleological assumption for contemporary political theory and, more generally, for the ways in which people tend to conceive of politics. Indeed, Honig argues that politics itself, at least insofar as it entails or expresses ultimately irreducible conflict, dissonance, resistance, and agonal struggle, has largely been displaced from or written out of political theory. (Praise for the 1st edition) * American Quarterly *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"An investigation of how this remarkably successful but 'consciously unheroic' transition was achieved in western continental Europe. A scholarly work of history that displays a deep knowledge of different political cultures, [Western Europe's Democratic Age] offers valuable context for today’s crisis of liberal democracy."---Ben Hall, Financial Times"[Western Europe's Democratic Age] had a real influence on me."---E. J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post"An important and insightful study. . . . highly readable [and] well-written."---Julia Eichenberg, H/Soz/Kult

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Book SynopsisFeatures four distinguished scholars in political science who analyze American democracy from a comparative point of view, exploring how the US political system differs from that of thirty other democracies and what those differences ultimately mean for democratic performance.Trade Review"The scholarship here is impressive. This book is surely unique in the depth of its comparative description of the United States and the systematic nature of the comparative analysis."—G. Bingham Powell Jr., author of Elections as Instruments of Democracy "A Different Democracy overcomes the traditional segmentation of political science into American and comparative politics, choosing a sensible analytical focus instead: democratic political institutions. The book will be the premier introduction to this subject for undergraduate and graduate students for years to come."—Herbert Kitschelt, Duke University, author of The Transformation of European Social Democracy

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Book SynopsisA penetrating, personal look at contemporary India—the world’s largest democracy at a moment of transition.Trade Review"[A] sharply observed study... richly detailed portraits." -- The Economist"Thoughtful and timely... Sengupta balances strong impartial analysis with emotional investment." -- The Wall Street Journal"[Sengupta] marvels at the resulting ambition and ingenuity, while also observing the power of residual caste and gender prejudices." -- The New Yorker"How India’s youth are trading fatalism and karma for free will and higher expectations, by a former New York Times New Delhi bureau chief who interweaves data, first-hand accounts and archival research to great effect." -- Best Books of 2016 - The Economist"For a topical taste of India on the turn, Somini Sengupta's The End of Karma offers just the ticket." -- Literary Review

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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.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 SynopsisThe outbreak of the “Minamata Disease” in 1950s Japan remains one of the most horrific examples of environmental poisoning in history. Based on primary documents and interviews, this book describes responses to this incidence of mercury poisoning, focusing on the efforts of its victims and their supporters to secure redress.Trade ReviewThis is the first account, in any language, which covers the controversies surrounding the infamous mercury poisoning in Minamata in southern Kyushu over the time frame of ninety years, from the founding of the factory which caused the pollution, up to the settlement for compensation reached in 1995… George’s monograph provides an excellent point of departure for further inquiries. -- Anja Osiander * Social Science Journal *

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisAn investigation into the different relationships between democracy, culture, and Catholicism found in the religious, social, political, and cultural contexts of four nation-states: Indonesia, Lithuania, Peru, and the United States.Trade Review"Democracy, Culture and Catholicism is a unique and very illuminating book studying the restraints and resources of Catholicism for democracy. It links Catholic social thought on democracy with several key case studies of countries which underwent a transition from dictatorship to democracy and how the social location of the church aided or not that crucial transition. A must read for people concerned with comparative study of Catholicism and Catholic social thought." -- -John A. Coleman S.J. Associate Pastor, Saint Ignatius Church, San Francisco "... [A] dynamic conversation regarding the interpretation and application of Catholic social teaching in diverse Lithuanian, Indonesian, Peruvian, and U.S. American perspectives. A critical resource for expanding knowledge and inquiry into diverse expressions of Catholicism and globalization." -- -Alex Mikulich Jesuit Social Research Institute, Loyola University, New OrleansTable of ContentsIntroduction Lithuanian Voices Introduction John Crowley-Buck Democracy and Catholicism in Twentieth Century Lithuania Arunas Streikus The Domains of the Lithuanian Church during the Soviet Period: Martyria, Diakonia, and Leiturgia Vidmantus Simkunas, S.J. Traumatized Society, Democracy, and Religious Faith: The Lithuanian Experience Danute Gailiene Christianity and Politics in Post-Soviet Lithuania: Between Totalitarian Experience and Democracy Nerija Putinaite Note John Crowley-Buck Montaigne, Julian, and 'Others': The Quest for Peaceful Coexistence in Public Space David M. Posner Indonesian Voices Introduction John Crowley-Buck Catholics in Indonesia and the Struggle for Democracy Baskara Wardaya, S.J. Musyawarah and Democratic Lay Catholic Leadership in Indonesia: The Ongoing Legacy of John Dijkstra, S.J. and Ikatan Petani Pancasila Paulus Wiryono Priyotamtama, S.J. The Influence of Catholic Social Teaching on the Democratic Practice of Corporate Social Responsibility: A Study from Indonesia Francisca Ninik Yudianti The Performing Art of Kethoprak and the Democratic 'Power to Will' in Indonesia Albertus 'Budi' Susanto, S.J. Note John Crowley-Buck Alter/Native Democracies: Muslim and Catholic Negotiations of Culture, Religion, and Citizenship in the Twenty-First Century Marcia Hermansen Comparative Insights Regarding Religion and Democracy in a Muslim Context Russell Powell Peruvian Voices Introduction John Crowley-Buck The Relationship of Patronage and Legitimacy between the Catholic Church and the Peruvian State Maria Soledad Escalante Beltran Catholicism and the Struggle for Memory: Reflections on Peru Gonzalo Gamio Gehri The Catholic Church, Indigenous Rights, and the Environment in the Peruvian Amazon Region Oscar A. Espinosa Religion as a Political Factor in Latin America: The Peruvian Case Jorge Aragon Trelles Note John Crowley-Buck The Catholic Church and the Leftist Populist Regimes of Latin America: Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia Jeffrey Klaiber, S.J. United States Voices Introduction John Crowley-Buck Roman Catholic Sisters and the Cultivation of Citizenship in the United States: Rich and Contentious Legacies Bren Ortega Murphy "First Be Reconciled": Restorative Justice and Deliberative Democracy William R. O'Neill, S.J. Access to Information: Citizenship, Representative Democracy, and Catholic Social Thought Barry Sullivan Note Foundations of Human Rights: The Work of Francisco de Vitoria, O.P. Robert John Araujo, S.J. Global Interpretations Introduction John Crowley-Buck Democratic Transitions and Consolidation in Predominantly Catholic Countries Peter Schraeder Civil Discourse and Religion in Transitional Democracies: The Cases of Lithuania, Peru, and Indonesia David Ingram Epilogue on Democracy, Culture, and Catholicism Michael J. Schuck Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“This brief but powerful book is a much-needed—and timely—Guide for the Perplexed Citizen, and it is as wise as it is witty. Capitalism and Democracy is a masterful synthesis of disparate sources, and a highly intelligent assessment and critique of arguments advanced by various economists, political theorists, and politicians. Spragens’s prose is pithy, clear, and a delight to read.” —Terence Ball, co-author of Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal“Capitalism and Democracy is a remarkably evenhanded book, and especially so in these highly contentious days. Spragens joins a sophisticated understanding of political theory to economic analysis and provides a fuller account of what is at stake in debates about the extent to which the market should be ‘free’ and the government should ‘interfere’ with it than one usually finds in writings on these matters. I read it practically straight through and found it almost as enjoyable as reading a good novel.” —Richard Dagger, author of Playing Fair"The free-market process is ultimately based on the reality of who we are as human beings. The free economy is not an ‘instrument’ but a ‘process’ which allows the ‘flourishing’ of the human person. . . . Spragens’s study is a most worthwhile contribution in this ongoing discussion." —VoegelinViewTable of ContentsForeword Introduction 1. The Political Economy Debate: What Brings Prosperity? 2. The Moral Philosophy Debate: Are Market Outcomes Morally Acceptable? 3. Markets and the Good Society 4. Why No Slam Dunk Answers 5. Conclusion: Toward Reasonable Judgements

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Book SynopsisLatif Tas investigates the triangular relationship between nationalism, justice and gender politics, to explore how influencing this dynamic allows authoritarian rulers to stay in power for longer and justify their actions for monopolising power.Trade Review"Betrayed by almost everyone, the Kurdish people have developed a politics of self-reliance and an innovative, democratic and feminist, nationalism. In this book, Latif Tas provides a rigorous ethnographic and political account of what the Kurds have done. Focused on Turkey and Syria, Tas's analysis is wonderfully toughminded, appreciative of the Kurdish alternative" but also critical of its shortcomings. This is a major contribution to our understanding of the Middle East. "" -Michael Waltzer, Professor of Social Science, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA

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Book SynopsisLooking at how armies supportive of democracy are built, this title argues that the military is the important institution that states maintain, for without military elites who support democratic governance, democracy cannot be consolidated. It demonstrates that building democratic armies is the quintessential task of democratizing regimes.Trade ReviewOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2013 "This is an important work on militaries in newly democratizing regimes. The scope of the work is impressive... The topic of democratization of militaries is ... very important, and the remarkable breadth of the work will make it an essential handbook."--Choice "The Soldier and the Changing State is very useful reading for democracy scholars and practitioners. It lives up to its title, and it may even displace Huntington's classic as the first stop for those seeking to understand democratic civil-military relations today."--Harold A. Trinkunas, Journal of Democracy "The Soldier and the Changing State is an extraordinary book in both senses of that word, simultaneously remarkable and rare... The Soldier and the Changing State will probably be most widely read among specialists of civil-military relations, who will learn a great deal from the case studies in particular. But it should also find a considerable audience among democratization scholars. The book neither offers up a new theory of regime change nor tests existing theories, but there is no better general historical treatment of the ways in which civil-military relations influence the transition process in countries around the world."--Brian D. Taylor, Comparative Politics "The Soldier and the Changing State will probably be most widely read among specialists of civil-military relations, who will learn a great deal from the case studies in particular. But it should also find a considerable audience among democratization scholars. The book neither offers up a new theory of regime change nor tests existing theories, but there is no better general historical treatment of the ways in which civil-military relations influence the transition process in countries around the world."--Brian D. Taylor, Perspectives on Politics "Too often are military institutions and the threat they pose to democratic consolidation ignored. The Soldier and the Changing State provides a necessary corrective to this oversight by directly tackling the many challenges of building democratic militaries. Barany's work should thus inspire a new research agenda within the democratization field."--Kristen A. Harkness, Political Science QuarterlyTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction 1 Chapter 1 What Does a Democratic Army Look Like? 14 BUILDING DEMOCRATIC ARMIES After War Chapter 2 After World War II: Germany, Japan, and Hungary 47 Chapter 3 After Civil War: Bosnia and Herzegovina, El Salvador, and Lebanon 78 After Regime Change Chapter 4 After Military Rule in Europe: Spain, Portugal, and Greece 113 Chapter 5 After Military Rule in Latin America: Argentina, Chile, and Guatemala 143 Chapter 6 After Military Rule in Asia: South Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia 178 Chapter 7 After State-Socialism in Europe: Slovenia, Russia, and Romania 212 After State Transformation Chapter 8 After Colonial Rule in Asia: India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh 245 Chapter 9 After Colonial Rule in Africa: Ghana, Tanzania, and Botswana 275 Chapter 10 After (Re)Unification and Apartheid: Germany, South Africa, and Yemen 303 Conclusion 339 Notes 359 Bibliography 409 Index 443

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Book SynopsisDemocracy is not naturally plausible. Why turn such important matters over to masses of people who have no expertise? This title offers an alternative based on the idea that democratic authority and legitimacy must depend partly on democracy's tendency to make good decisions.Trade Review"Estlund offers a thoughtful, philosophically dense discussion arguing for the legitimacy of democratic order... Estlund argues that epistemic proceduralism is a superior justification for democracy because it shows that democracies have the capacity to achieve good decisions that have legitimacy. His comparison of the decisions of a democracy to those of a jury is particularly illuminating. The work includes careful discussion of many prominent democratic and liberal theorists, such as Kenneth Arrow and John Rawls."--M. Coulter, Grove City College, for Choice "Democratic Authority is a rich book. Anyone working on political philosophy in general will find much of interest in it."--Peter S. C. Chau, Journal of Value InquiryTable of ContentsPreface ix CHAPTER I: Democratic Authority 1 CHAPTER II: Truth and Despotism 21 CHAPTER III: An Acceptability Requirement 40 CHAPTER IV: The Limits of Fair Procedure 65 CHAPTER V: The Flight from Substance 85 CHAPTER VI: Epistemic Proceduralism 98 CHAPTER VII: Authority and Normative Consent 117 CHAPTER VIII: Original Authority and the Democracy/Jury Analogy 136 CHAPTER IX: How Would Democracy Know? 159 CHAPTER X: The Real Speech Situation 184 CHAPTER XI: Why Not an Epistocracy of the Educated? 206 CHAPTER XII: The Irrelevance of the Jury Theorem 223 CHAPTER XIII: Rejecting the Democracy/Contractualism Analogy 237 ChAPTER XIV: Utopophobia: Concession and Aspiration in Democratic Theory 258 Notes 277 Bibliography 295 Index 303

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Book SynopsisThe notion of ''the public sphere'' has become increasingly central to theories and studies of democracy, media, and culture over the last few decades. It has also gained political importance in the context of the European Union''s efforts to strengthen democracy, integration, and identity. The Idea of the Public Sphere offers a wide-ranging, accessible, and easy-to-use introduction to one of the most influential ideas in modern social and political thought, tracing its development from the origins of modern democracy in the Eighteenth Century to present day debates. This book brings key texts by the leading contributors in the field together in a single volume. It explores current topics such as the role of religion in public affairs, the implications of the internet for organizing public deliberation, and the transnationalisation of public issues.Trade ReviewThe idea of the public sphere has been a vital part of democratic theory throughout the modern era. This helpful reader provides the intellectual and historical background to enable those thinking about these issues today to connect the most important contemporary contributions to their intellectual history. -- Craig Calhoun, University Professor of Social Sciences, Arizona State UniversityThough much has been written about the public sphere, this ambitious and generous collection of key texts is truly in a class by itself. While tracing the intellectual history of the concept from the Enlightenment, the volume also probes its links to other key notions such as democracy, culture, media, and multiculturalism, placing it in the context of contemporary debates. Framed by edifying and accessible introductions – to the whole volume, to the seven sections, and to each one of the texts – this book will prove to be an immensely useful resource. It destined to become a classic volume on this topic. -- Peter Dahlgren, Lund UniversityThis is a timely and long-needed introduction to the roots of public sphere thinking, which could help to better understand some burning contemporary controversies in the filed. -- Slavko Splichal, University of LjubljanaTable of Contents1 Preface 2 Acknowledgments 3 Editors' Introduction Part 4 I: The Enlightenment and the Liberal Idea of the Public Sphere 5 Introduction to section I 6 Introduction to Kant 7 Immanuel Kant: An Answer to the Question: "What is Enlightenment?" 8 Introduction to Hegel 9 G.W.F. Hegel: Excerpt from Philosophy of Right 10 Introduction to Mill 11 J.S. Mill: Excerpt On Liberty Part 12 II: "Mass Society", Democracy and Public Opinion 13 Introduction to section II 14 Introduction to Lippmann 15 Walter Lippmann: Excerpt from The Phantom Public 16 Introduction to Dewey 17 John Dewey: Excerpt from The Public and its Problems 18 Introduction to Schumpeter 19 Joseph Schumpeter: Excerpt from Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy 20 Introduction to Schmitt 21 Carl Schmitt: Excerpt from The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy Part 22 III: The Public Sphere Rediscovered 23 Introduction to section III 24 Introduction to Arendt 25 Hannah Arendt: Excerpt from The Human Condition 26 Introduction to Habermas I 27 Jürgen Habermas: "The Public Sphere: An Encyclopaedia Article" 28 Introduction to Negt and Kluge 29 Oskar Negt and Alexander Kluge: Excerpt from Public Sphere and Experience: Toward an Analysis of the Bourgeois and Proletarian Public Sphere 30 Introduction to Fraser 31 Nancy Fraser: "Rethinking the Public Sphere: A Contribution to the Critique of Actually Existing Democracy" Part 32 IV: The Public Sphere and Models of Democracy 33 Introduction to section IV 34 Introduction to Elster 35 Jon Elster: "The Market and the Forum: Three Varieties of Political Theory" 36 Introduction to Luhmann 37 Niklas Luhmann: "Societal Complexity and Public Opinion" 38 Introduction to Habermas II 39 Jürgen Habermas: Excerpt from Between Facts and Norms: Contributions to a Discourse Theory of Law and Democracy 40 Introduction to Rawls 41 John Rawls: "The Idea of Public Reason Revisited" Part 42 V: Current Challenges 43 Introduction to section V 44 Introduction to Peters 45 Bernhard Peters: "National and Transnational Public Spheres" 46 Introduction to Bohman 47 James Bohman: "Expanding Dialogue: The Internet, Public Sphere, and Transnational Democracy" 48 Introduction to Mouffe 49 Chantal Mouffe: "Deliberative Democracy or Agonistic Pluralism?" 50 Introduction to Benhabib 51 Seyla Benhabib: Excerpt from The Claims of Culture: Equality and Diversity in the Global Era 52 Introduction to Habermas III 53 Jürgen Habermas: "Religion in the Public Sphere" 54 Bibliography and Further Readings

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Book SynopsisThis classic work of comparative history explores why some countries have developed as democracies and others as fascist or communist dictatorships Originally published in 1966, this classic text is a comparative survey of some of what Barrington Moore considers the major and most indicative world economies as they evolved out of pre-modern political systems into industrialism. But Moore is not ultimately concerned with explaining economic development so much as exploring why modes of development produced different political forms that managed the transition to industrialism and modernization. Why did one society modernize into a relatively free, democratic society (by which Moore means England)? Why did others metamorphose into fascist or communist states? His core thesis is that in each country, the relationship between the landlord class and the peasants was a primary influence on the ultimate form of government the society arrived at upon arrival in its modern a

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Book SynopsisThe election of Donald Trump and the Brexit vote in the UK have caused fear and panic among liberals worldwide. They argue that the populist backlash represents a dangerous new authoritarianism. But what if the really dangerous authoritarianism is in fact their own? In this provocative and highly original book, Salvatore Babones argues that democracy has been undermined by a quiet but devastating power grab conducted by a class of liberal experts. They have advanced a global rights-based agenda which has tilted the balance away from the lively and vibrant unpredictability of democratic decision-making toward the creeping technocratic authority of liberal consensus. Populism represents, contends Babones, an imperfect but reinvigorating political flood that has the potential to sweep away decades of institutional detritus and rejuvenate democracy across the West. Babones’ bracing attack on the insidious “new authoritarianism” of the expert class and call for an end to liberal mission creep will stimulate and challenge all readers trying to make sense of the political tumult of the recent past.Trade ReviewNamed one of 2018's Best Books on Politics by the Wall Street Journal"Babones’ relentless critique of the liberal expert class brilliantly exposes their contempt for ordinary people. A crucial contribution to our understanding of how contemporary liberalism is increasingly illiberal and undemocratic."Adrian Pabst, co-author of The Politics of Virtue: Post-liberalism and the Human Future"An overdue and rational corrective about populism and authoritarianism."The Australian"Brilliantly insightful and always fair-minded, The New Authoritarianism is a compelling insider’s account of how the liberal-minded became close-minded."Quadrant"This is a superb book. Anyone interested in politics must read it; it is one of those rare tracts which is constantly rewarding."Spectator Australia

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Book SynopsisYour blunt guide to Brexit. Journalist Ian Dunt reveals how leaving the EU will strike the law, politics and business. Based on expert advice, this fully revised 2018 edition of his pithy bestseller illuminates the UK's biggest issue, stripped of the spin of its media cheerleaders. Incisive and important, and growing more so by the day.Trade Review'Admirably brief and necessarily brutal... Whatever your position during the referendum, you ought to read Dunt because he is willing to face uncomfortable facts. The only country in the world with absolute sovereignty is North Korea. Everyone else must make compromises. The only question for us is how bad a compromise we must endure.' – NICK COHEN, THE SPECTATOR'Excellent. A must-read. Harass every MP until they read Dunt's book.' – AC GRAYLING, ACADEMIC'Dunt's compact and easily digestible book skilfully navigates the post-referendum world - giving far more detail than any Government minister has yet managed. I'd encourage anyone who is confused, fascinated or frustrated by Brexit to read this book - you'll be far wiser by the end of it.' – CAROLINE LUCAS MP'I would strongly recommend Ian Dunt's excellent guide to what happens next. Dunt has taken the extraordinary step of asking a set of experts what they think about matters of law. This is one of the few books of the set to face forwards rather than backwards and it is all the better for that. I learnt a lot, which I find often happens when I have the humility to listen to experts.' – PHILIP COLLINS, PROSPECT MAGAZINE'Dunt is a Remainer, but you wouldn’t be able to tell that from reading this book. He wastes no time on recriminations, finger-pointing or a dissection of the referendum campaign (riven as it was with misinformation, ignorance, propaganda and outright lies). Instead he looks ahead, to the enormous challenges Britain now faces, in the hope of making the best of a bad situation.' – GRUB STREET'It’s a nightmare vision, deliberately painted so, as a shock to the complacency of those who thought Brexit would be a breeze. But, as Dunt then makes clear, these are “the consequences of a chaotic, hard Brexit.' – PAUL MAGRATH, ICLRTable of ContentsMICHAEL GOVE QUOTE. 'I think the people in this country have had enough of experts from organisations with acronyms, saying they know what’s best and getting it consistently wrong.’ Michael Gove, Brexit campaigner, Sky News, 3 June 2016, when told the US, China, India, IMF, CBI etc opposed Brexit INTRODUCTION. Imagines the disruption to trade if Britain left the European Union without a deal and was forced to fall back on World Trade Organisation rules, leading to Customs and country of origin checks on British goods entering the Continent. Food starts to rot WHAT WAS THAT? Ian Dunt was laying out Britain's worst-case scenario – a chaotic heard Brexit. But there are alternatives. 'Based on extensive research and discussions with leading experts in politics, the law, markets and Europe, it maps the road ahead, with its multiple hazards and dangers' WHAT DID WE VOTE FOR? On 23 June 2016, voters in the UK were asked: ‘Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union.’ The results were: Remain 16,141,241 (48.1%), Leave 17,410,742 (51.9%). Voters could not specify which version of Brexit they wanted WHAT IS ARTICLE 50? Theresa May triggered Article 50 – the European Union rule that must be invoked by any country wishing to leave – on 29 March 2017. Unlike pretty much any other European law ever written, Article 50 is very short. And nightmarish for the UK WHAT IS THE EUROPEAN PROJECT? Britain has always been deeply ignorant of the motivation behind the European project, tracing the Coal and Steel Community (France, West Germany, Italy, Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg), European Economic Community which made a bigger common market, and European Union WHAT IS THE SINGLE MARKET? The single market had been the dream of European planners from the outset. It would not just get rid of tariffs like an ordinary free trade agreement, it would create four fundamental freedoms: • Goods • Capital • Services • People. Europe's people and firms would merge WHAT ARE THE POLITICS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION? Successive waves of enlargements have increased the EU. Chart of EU members in 2016, relative to the size of the economy. In the 1990s, the EU constructed the Eurozone, a monetary union of 19 member states using the euro. Illustration of EU members and Eurozone WHAT ABOUT FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT? Boris Johnson joked that he was ‘pro having my cake and pro eating it.’ The 27 remaining European leaders have stressed that access to the single market ‘requires acceptance of all four freedoms’, but there may still be some wriggle room. WHAT ABOUT THE ECONOMY? Britain faced a full range of options for withdrawal from the European Union, including staying in the customs union and/or staying in the single market. The EU has a full range of menu options for the single market. Norway and Switzerland are members in different ways NORWAY. When EFTA states Norway, Lichtenstein and Iceland joined the single market they became members of a wider European Economic Area (EEA), securing an arm’s length relationship with Brussels while enjoying the benefits of free trade SWITZERLAND. In 1992, Swiss voters rejected the idea of joining the other EU objectors in the European Economic Area. Instead, the Swiss eventually agreed on a series of bilateral treaties with the EU in return for access to the single market. It is a messy fudge TURKEY. Britain could leave the single market and stay in the customs union. A customs union is only about the taxation of goods. It allows goods to be moved between its members without paying tariffs and has one common tariff arrangement for goods coming from outside. CANADA. Leaving the single market and customs union means that the closest economic relationship the UK and Europe can expect to have is a free trade deal, like the one between the EU and Canada. One would allow Britain to trade with the EU while reducing tariffs and country-of-origin checks THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION. Brexit supporters have long claimed that the WTO is a safety net for the UK once it finally leaves Europe. They portray the WTO as a virile, regulation-free wonderland just waiting for Britain to take its place as one of the world’s leading trading nations. It is not. HOW CAN WE KEEP THE UK TOGETHER? Most of Britain’s difficulties are based on its desire to maintain the financial benefits of the EU while extracting itself from sharing any sovereignty. But there is an aspect to the British dilemma outside that trade-off: keeping the United Kingdom together SCOTLAND. Most Scots voted to stay in the European Union, but that does not mean that Brexit will lead to a surge in support for Scottish independence. The British single market is worth four times as much to Scotland in terms of jobs and trade than the EU single market IRELAND. The problems in Scotland look like pleasantries next to those in Ireland. At stake is nothing less than a reversal of two decades of careful progress since the Troubles. And yet government ministers have seemed largely uninterested in the impact of Brexit across the Irish Sea WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? Brexit cannot satisfy the dreams, but we can ask the following questions: what do the leading Brexiters want, how talented are they, what tools do they have at their disposal and in which context do they operate? The answer to those questions grounds our expectations WHAT DO THE BREXIT MINISTERS WANT? Since the Brexit referendum and the June 2017 general election British politics has been volatile and unpredictable, so it’s impossible to know if the Brexit ministers in place (Boris Johnson, David Davis, Liam Fox) will be in place for long HOW TALENTED ARE THEY? Both Liam Fox and David Davis often seemed unable to grasp the rudiments of the European Union and international trade. In July 2016, Dr Fox told The Sunday Times that ‘about a dozen free trade deals outside the EU’ would be ‘ready for when we leave’ WHAT TOOLS DO THEY HAVE? The reliance of European businesses on the UK has prompted some people to suggest ‘they need us more than we need them’. As with all alluring nonsense, it is based on a grain of truth. But the Brexiters have drastically underestimated the lopsidedness of the relationship WHAT IS THE CONTEXT? Ministers are operating in a complicated and restrictive environment. They are being forced into an impossible timetable by an overmighty negotiating partner while trying to establish a society-wide regulatory framework and facing a volatile Parliament with no majority THE ECONOMY. After the referendum vote, the pound fell to a 31-year low on currency markets. While there have been occasional bounces, the trend has been downwards and there is no sign of sterling reaching its pre-referendum level. The confidence of foreign investors in Britain's economy is waning THE CITY OF LONDON. Britain’s financial services will weaken as banks move part of their operations and staff to EU jurisdictions in Ireland or mainland Europe. This will not be a rout, but a small and steady leak. The City of London will survive Brexit IMMIGRATION. Immigration to the UK fell after the referendum vote and continued to do so thereafter. Although most members of the public don’t know it due to decades of tabloid misinformation, this will lower the standard of living. The reason is that immigration is good for the economy THE PARLIAMENTARY BATTLE. Whoever occupies Downing Street will have a difficult time trying to pass the legislation needed to deliver Brexit unless they have a large working majority. As things stand, there is no support in the Commons for any position, whether hard Brexit, soft Brexit or Remain MAKING A NEW COUNTRY. Britain’s membership of the European Union will also kill off lots of other laws important to everyday life. Britain’s membership of the EU is a legal agreement, enshrined in domestic law by the European Communities Act 1972 THE TIME PROBLEM. Two years might just have been enough to complete the administrative element of Article 50. It is not enough to recreate the EU’s regulatory infrastructure or to negotiate, agree and ratify a good trade deal. Anyone trying to finish these tasks competently probably needs 10 years WHAT HAPPENS AFTER BREXIT? Exiting the European Union is so complicated it would be impossible to achieve without statutory instruments. But it is also incredibly dangerous. Ministers suddenly have the power to tinker with nearly half a century of law and industrial standards POSTSCRIPT. There is a need for patience and good sense... Absolute sovereignty is a fantasy. The only absolute sovereignty available in the world is North Korea’s model of total isolation. Outside of that, we must make compromises in order to cooperate with other countries for our mutual advantage LIST OF EXPERTS. Including James Chalmers, Larry Elliott, Sir Lawrence Freedman, Carl Gardner, Holger Hestermeyer, Markus W. Gehring, Dominic Grieve, Sir Paul Jenkins, Sabine Jenni, Steve Keen, Guy Lougher, Anand Menon, Giles Merritt, Laurent Pech, Steve Peers, Gavin Phillipson, Keith Rockwell ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. I thank Martin Hickman, my publisher... who came to me after my first post-referendum blog, Everything You Need To Know About Theresa May’s Brexit Nightmare In Five Minutes, despite the fact that it didn’t tell the reader everything they needed and couldn't be read in 5 minutes REFERENCES. Full list of references and sources for important facts about Britain's withdrawal from the European Union

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Book SynopsisBringing together ten leading researchers in the field of deliberative democracy, this important book examines the features of a Deliberative Mini-Public (DMP) and considers how DMPs link into democratic systems. It examines the core design features of DMPs and their role in the broader policy process and takes stock of the characteristics that distinguish them from other forms of citizen participation. In doing so, the book offers valuable insights into the contributions that DMPs can make not only to the policy process, but also to the broader agenda of revitalising democracy in contemporary times.Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. The Diversity of Mini-Publics: A Systematic Overview 3. Recruitment 4. The Deliberative Experience 5. Evidence in Deliberative Mini-Publics 6. Outputs 7. Legitimacy of Deliberative Mini-Publics 8. Deliberative Mini-Publics in Democratic Systems 9. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisApril 30, 2019 is the expected publication date for The Mueller Report trade paperback. The ebook will be published on April 19th. The only book with exclusive analysis by the Pulitzer Prize–winning staff of the Washington Post, and the most complete and authoritative available.Trade Review'Makes for a lively read…More than a liar, Trump here looks like a fabulist, intent, as his enablers put it, on “creating a narrative” or a “script” that would rationalise what his lawyer, Don McGahn, calls “crazy shit”, like the firing of James Comey and the subsequent cover-up.' -- Peter Conrad * Observer *'This is a document that, like the Badlands National Park, one has to visit for oneself. If you rely on the velvet fog of Attorney General William Barr’s Cliffs Notes, you will get an ‘F’ on the exam… So much of what’s in the Mueller report is already known, thanks to what never again should be referred to as "fake news"... but its two volumes nonetheless have the power to shock and appal.' -- Dwight Garner * New York Times *'The Mueller report, Olympian and meticulous, feels like an attempt to wrest back our government on behalf not just of real lawyers but of reality itself.' -- Laura Miller * Slate *'It's amazing how many journalistic stories derided as "fake news" over the past few years now re-appear in Mueller's recounting - only this time as documented evidence… Mueller's contribution to the literature of this period in history will have an expanding readership in the immediate future as well.' -- NPR'The Mueller report is that rare Washington tell-all that surpasses its pre-publication hype…the best book by far on the workings of the Trump presidency. It was delivered to the attorney general but is also written for history. The book reveals the president in all his impulsiveness, insecurity and growing disregard for rules and norms; White House aides alternating between deference to the man and defiance of his "crazy s---" requests; and a campaign team too inept to realize, or too reckless to care, when they might have been bending the law. And special counsel Robert Mueller has it all under oath, on the record, along with interviews and contemporaneous notes backing it up.' -- Carlos Lozada * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"An investigation of how this remarkably successful but 'consciously unheroic' transition was achieved in western continental Europe. A scholarly work of history that displays a deep knowledge of different political cultures, [Western Europe's Democratic Age] offers valuable context for today’s crisis of liberal democracy."---Ben Hall, Financial Times"[Western Europe's Democratic Age] had a real influence on me."---E. J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post"An important and insightful study. . . . highly readable [and] well-written."---Julia Eichenberg, H/Soz/Kult

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Book SynopsisPolitical journalist Michael Tomasky tracks an exciting change among  progressive economists who are overturning decades of conservative dogma and offering an alternative version of capitalism that can serve broadly shared prosperity to all.Engaging, briskly paced ... On balance, history appears to be on Tomasky’s side. —The New York Times Book ReviewIn the first half of the twentieth century the Keynesian brand of economics, which saw government spending as a necessary spur to economic growth, prevailed. Then in the 1970s, conservatives fought back. Once they got people to believe a few simple ideas instead—that only the free market could produce growth, that taxes and regulation stifle growth—the battle was won. The era of conservative dogma, often called neoliberal economics, had begun. It ushered in increasing inequality, a shrinking middle class, and declining public investment. For fifty years, liberals have not

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Book SynopsisHow We the People can reclaim our democracyupdated with a discussion guide, author videos, and a new chapter-length Introduction In this updated edition of his prophetic book, renowned author and activist Parker J. Palmer celebrates the power of We the People to resist the politics of divide and conquer. With the U.S. now on a global list of backsliding democracies, Palmer writes about what we can do to restore civil discourse, reach for understanding across lines of difference, focus on our shared values, and hold elected officials accountable. He explores ways we can reweave the communal fabric on which democracy depends in everyday settings such as families, neighborhoods, classrooms, congregations, workplaces, and various public spacesincluding five habits of the heart we can cultivate as we work to fulfill America''s promise of human equality. In the same honest, vulnerable, compelling and inspiring prose that has won Palmer millions of readers, Healing the HearTable of ContentsIntroduction to the 2024 Edition xv Prelude The Politics of the Brokenhearted 1 Chapter I Democracy’s Ecosystem 11 Chapter II Confessions of An Accidental Citizen 29 Chapter III the Heart of Politics 49 Chapter IV the Loom of Democracy 69 Chapter V Life in the Company of Strangers 89 Chapter VI Classrooms and Congregations 119 Chapter VII Safe Space for Deep Democracy 151 Chapter VIII the Unwritten History of the Heart 175 Gratitudes 195 Notes 199 The author 219 Index 221

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