Description
Book SynopsisThe rise of populism in the West and the rise of China in the East have stirred a rethinking of how democratic systems workand how they fail. The impact of globalism and digital capitalism is forcing worldwide attention to the starker divide between the haves and the have-nots, challenging how we think about the social contract. With fierce clarity and conviction,Renovating Democracytears down our basic structures and challenges us to conceive of an alternative framework for governance. To truly renovate our global systems, the authors argue for empowering participation without populism by integrating social networks and direct democracy into the system with new mediating institutions that complement representative government. They outline steps to reconfigure the social contract to protect workers instead of jobs, shifting from a redistribution after wealth to pre-distribution with the aim to enhance the skills and assets of those less well-off. Lastly, they argue for harnessing globalization through positive nationalism at home while advocating for global cooperationspecifically with a partnership with Chinato create a viable rules-based world order. Thought provoking and persuasive,Renovating Democracyserves as a point of departure that deepens and expands the discourse for positive change in governance.
Trade Review"In this new book, Nicolas Berggruen, the founder and chairman of the Berggruen Institute, and his co-founder, the WorldPost editor Nathan Gardels, are kicking the tires of democracy. The brainy duo take this opportunity to think about the system of government, what makes it work, how it fails, and whether it's still the best way to run the world. This isn't light reading, but it's necessary.” * Town & Country *
"The book is a romp through all that’s going wrong with politics, from populists on the rise, robots stealing jobs, climate change being ignored and technocrats bereft of fresh ideas." * The Economist *
"The book offers a useful analysis of some of the major challenges that come with globalization and the increasingly technological world in which we live and serves as a useful supplement to existing studies." * European Legacy *
Table of ContentsPreface: There Is Something Wrong with the System
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Rethinking Democracy,
the Social Contract, and Globalization
The Paradoxes of Governance in the Digital Age
Where China Comes In
Taking Back Control
The Politics of Renovation
1. Behind the Populist Surge
Peril Resides within Promise
Disruption, Insecurity, and Identity
Luther’s 95 Theses and Twitter’s 280 Characters
What about Us?
God and Computers
2. Rethinking Democracy
Representative Government in Crisis
The Participatory Power of Social Media
Thinking outside the Ballot Box
Back to the Drawing Board of Constitutional Design
The American Founders: A Republic, Not a Democracy
The Progressives: Direct Democracy and Smart Government
The Third Turn: Participation without Populism
California as a Laboratory of Democracy
Fundamental Redesign of State Government
3. Redrawing the Social Contract
Job Loss and Inequality in the Digital Age
The Transformation of Capital by Knowledge
The Parallel Sharing Economy
The Future of Work
How Tax Dollars Are Spent
An Equity Share for All Citizens: Universal Basic Capital
Universal Basic Income as a Floor
A Postcapitalist Scenario
4. Harnessing Globalization
The China Challenge
Positive Nationalism
Open Societies’ Need for Defined Borders
One World, Many Systems
Epilogue: Our Image of the Future
Shapes the Present
Notes
Index
