Real Democracy

Author : Frank M. Bryan
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 333 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2010-03-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780226077987

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Real Democracy by Frank M. Bryan Pdf

Relying on an astounding collection of more than three decades of firsthand research, Frank M. Bryan examines one of the purest forms of American democracy, the New England town meeting. At these meetings, usually held once a year, all eligible citizens of the town may become legislators; they meet in face-to-face assemblies, debate the issues on the agenda, and vote on them. And although these meetings are natural laboratories for democracy, very few scholars have systematically investigated them. A nationally recognized expert on this topic, Bryan has now done just that. Studying 1,500 town meetings in his home state of Vermont, he and his students recorded a staggering amount of data about them—238,603 acts of participation by 63,140 citizens in 210 different towns. Drawing on this evidence as well as on evocative "witness" accounts—from casual observers to no lesser a light than Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn—Bryan paints a vivid picture of how real democracy works. Among the many fascinating questions he explores: why attendance varies sharply with town size, how citizens resolve conflicts in open forums, and how men and women behave differently in town meetings. In the end, Bryan interprets this brand of local government to find evidence for its considerable staying power as the most authentic and meaningful form of direct democracy. Giving us a rare glimpse into how democracy works in the real world, Bryan presents here an unorthodox and definitive book on this most cherished of American institutions.

Author : Vukan Kuic
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 190 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 1999
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 0847696138

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Yves R. Simon by Vukan Kuic Pdf

This is a long overdue analysis of Yves R. Simon's profound contribution to the theory and practice of democracy. Prominent scholar Vukan Kuic, who has edited several of Simon's posthumous volumes, analyzes Simon's treatment of the functions of government, his theories of democratic liberty and equality, and his concerns about the problems that modern technology presents for democracy.

Author : Karl Heinzen
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 78 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 1871
Category : Anarchism
ISBN : HARVARD:32044004569307

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What Is Real Democracy? by Karl Heinzen Pdf

Author : Ricardo Blaug
Publisher : State University of New York Press
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 1999-03-18
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780791496886

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Democracy, Real and Ideal by Ricardo Blaug Pdf

By focusing the various difficulties encountered in applying theory to practical concerns, this book explores the reasons for the absence of a radical politics in Habermas's work. In doing so, it shows that certain political implications of the theory remain unexplored. The book articulates a unique application of Habermasian theory, the actual functioning of decision-making groups, the nature of deliberative interaction, and the kinds of judgments participants must make if they are to preserve their democratic process.

Author : Brett Hennig
Publisher : Unbound Publishing
Page : 180 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2017-03-02
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781911586173

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The End of Politicians by Brett Hennig Pdf

Our politics is broken, but it can be fixed. A real democracy is not only possible — it is an urgent necessity. Provocative, succinct and inspiring, The End of Politicians combines insights from the history of democracy with a critical understanding of the information revolution to explain how we can fix democracy by eliminating politicians and replacing them with a representative network of everyday citizens. A wealth of recent evidence has shown that groups of randomly selected, ordinary people can and do make balanced, informed and trusted decisions. These citizens' assemblies are legitimate, accountable, competent and, above all, convincing demonstrations that we can govern ourselves. The future of democracy has arrived. It is time for the end of politicians.

Author : Anna Szolucha
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 194 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2016-10-04
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781317216698

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Real Democracy Occupy by Anna Szolucha Pdf

The liberal representative model of democracy is in a crisis. In protest camps, neighbourhood assemblies and through other non-hierarchical initiatives, the Occupy movement as well as other recent anti-austerity movements are redefining democracy as a positive way to engage with this crisis. The more direct democratic models of organisation that they are employing are not aimed at making the politicians regain their lost public legitimacy. Instead, direct democracy is perceived by these movements as a radical alternative to the established forms of representation. Can direct democracy become an actual alternative to representative democracy? This book takes an engaged and in-depth look at the Occupy movement in Ireland and the San Francisco Bay Area in the US in order to present the most up-to-date evidence of the changing nature of popular democratic demands. It takes an insider’s perspective to analyse the internal processes and iterations of the movement. Establishing links between social movements and transformations of democracy, as well as underscoring the significance of the recent movements for the future of democracy, this book is essential reading for students, scholars and activists interested in direct democracy, social movements, and radical politics more generally.

Author : Ian Shapiro
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 2010-11-22
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781400836833

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The Real World of Democratic Theory by Ian Shapiro Pdf

In this book Ian Shapiro develops and extends arguments that have established him as one of today's leading democratic theorists. Shapiro is hardheaded about the realities of politics and power, and the difficulties of fighting injustice and oppression. Yet he makes a compelling case that democracy's legitimacy depends on pressing it into the service of resisting domination, and that democratic theorists must rise to the occasion of fashioning the necessary tools. That vital agenda motivates the arguments of this book. Tracing modern democracy's roots to John Locke and the American founders, Shapiro shows that they saw more deeply into the dynamics of democratic politics than have many of their successors. Drawing on Lockean and Madisonian insights, Shapiro evaluates democracy's changing global fortunes over the past two decades. He also shows how elusive democracy can be by exploring the contrast between its successful establishment in South Africa and its failures elsewhere--particularly the Middle East. Shapiro spells out the implications of his account for long-standing debates about public opinion, judicial review, abortion, and inherited wealth--as well as more recent preoccupations with globalization, national security, and international terrorism. Scholars, students, and democratic activists will all learn from Shapiro's trenchant account of democracy's foundations, its history, and its contemporary challenges. They will also find his distinctive democratic vision both illuminating and appealing.

Author : Crawford Brough Macpherson
Publisher : New York : Oxford University Press, 1972, 1975 printing.
Page : 67 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 1972
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0195015347

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The Real World of Democracy by Crawford Brough Macpherson Pdf

In The Real World of Democracy, C. B. Macpherson examines the rival ideas of democracy - the communist, Third World, and Western-liberal variants - and their impacts on one another. Macpherson, who was a professor of political science at the University of Toronto and an Officer of the Order of Canada, suggests that the West need not fear any challenge to liberal democracy if it is prepared to re-examine and alter its own values.

Author : C.B. Macpherson
Publisher : House of Anansi
Page : 112 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 1992-04-29
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780887848902

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The Real World of Democracy by C.B. Macpherson Pdf

In his 1964 CBC Massey Lectures C. B. Macpherson examines the rival ideas of democracy - the communist, Third World, and Western-liberal variants - and their impact on one another. He suggests that the West need not fear any challenge to liberal democracy if it is prepared to re-examine and alter its own values.

Author : Kevin O'Leary
Publisher : Stanford University Press
Page : 308 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0804754985

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Saving Democracy by Kevin O'Leary Pdf

Saving Democracy presents a bold yet practical plan for reinventing American democracy for the twenty-first century. The book diagnoses contemporary political ills as symptoms of corruption in our large republic and develops a new understanding of representative democracy. Building on the ideas of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, Saving Democracy shows how it is possible to combine the traditional town hall and the Internet to fashion a new theory of representative government that empowers citizens and bridges the enormous gap that now exists between the political elite and the average voter. Under the author's plan, in each of the nation's 435 congressional districts a local assembly of 100 citizens, selected by lot, would meet to discuss the major domestic and international issues. The role of this assembly would be deliberative and advisory and its views would constitute a second, more sophisticated and informed measure of public opinion than traditional public opinion polls. The next step would be the establishment of the People's House, which would hold actual legislative power.

Author : Karl Peter Heinzen
Publisher : Forgotten Books
Page : 68 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2015-06-16
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 1330129083

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What Is Real Democracy? Answered by an Exposition of the Constitution of the United States by Karl Peter Heinzen Pdf

Excerpt from What Is Real Democracy? Answered by an Exposition of the Constitution of the United States A term only belonging, in fact, to the realm of natural history, and the world of elements, has become current among historians and politicians, although by them analogously applied, - we mean the expression 'organic development.' It is most often made use of by those teachers of statesmanship who have need of some palliating or imposing phrase by which to defend or support that which exists, particularly that among existing things 'which deserves to be destroyed.' But even liberal politicians still seriously engage in discussion of the question whether States, like plants, develop 'organically', that is to say, by means of an unconscious, limited growth, determined by the first germ, or whether, in their origin and development, they are and should be the mutable work of the thinking and directing mind of man: in other words, the question would be - Is man an unconscious production of nature, like the plant? or is he a self-conscious, self-determining, thinking being? About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Author : Richard Tafel
Publisher : AuthorHouse
Page : 166 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2012-12-29
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781477298213

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You Can Control Your Governments by Richard Tafel Pdf

This book is about democralcy - in its truest sense. It describes how the average citizen can gain control over his elected representatives. It describes how the really important matters of governing - the issues - can, where enough citizens are concerned about them, be decided not by party leaders, but by the citizens themselves. And that the results will be better for the community. It brings our cherished ideas about democracy into the 21st Century. It is a must read by anyone who cares about his childen, his municaplity, his state or province, his country.

Author : Nicholas Murray Butler
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 136 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 1969
Category : Political Science
ISBN : UOM:39015002446675

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True and False Democracy by Nicholas Murray Butler Pdf

Author : Joel Rogers,Real Utopias Project
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 300 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 1995
Category : Political Science
ISBN : UOM:39015037866905

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Associations and Democracy by Joel Rogers,Real Utopias Project Pdf

Throughout the West, democracy is under fire. "Government is part of the problem, not the solution" is a common refrain. As the tasks of the state become more complex and the size of polities larger, the institutional forms of liberal democracy developed in the 19th century seem increasingly unable to cope. Rather than seeking to deepen the democratic character of politics, much energy in recent years has been directed as reducing the role of politics altogether. In Associations and Democracy, Joshua Cohen and Joel Rogers advance an innovative scheme for rejuvenating the democratic state. Their proposal involves the strengthening of secondary associations, organizations like unions, works councils, neighborhood associations, parent-teacher groups and women's societies. With enlivened secondary associations mediating between individual citizens and the state, active participation in the political process can be expanded and democracy enhanced. Such an approach raises a number of thorny issues: Can such associations retain their independence from government if they are pulled further into the political sphere? Will a shift from territorial to functional representation further fragment an already divided polity? In an array of original contributions, leading social scientists respond to Cohen and Rogers with questions like these; Cohen and Rogers, in turn, sum up the debate. The first of a series of polemics providing workable scenarios for a progressive future, Associations and Democracy is a lively and stimulating exploration of one of the central issues on today's political agenda.

Author : Patrick Holz
Publisher : Vernon Press
Page : 306 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2018-01-31
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781622733675

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Towards A New Social Order? Real Democracy, Sustainability & Peace by Patrick Holz Pdf

This contribution argues that a long-established social order has been in place since the first stratified societies in the Near Middle East which unavoidably comes with substantial economic, political and environmental repercussions. Part I of the book dissects the various facets of this order, which is termed the social dominance paradigm, while in Part II a fundamentally different order, the peace paradigm, is introduced. The latter rests on real democracy (in the Athenian sense), sustainability and peace. As such, both paradigms function as vehicles for further analysis and research while the peace paradigm also provides a rough plan for the implementation of transformational change. Typically, political, economic, social, and environmental research seeks to increase specialized knowledge. Here, however, the overall intent is to utilize interdisciplinary evidence and connect the dots between a number defining features within seemingly modern societies. The argument is that these are, in fact, not modern at all but follow an ancient template of power, control, and coordination concentrated in the hands of the few. Potentially, this contribution can function as a trans-disciplinary methodological framework as well as an information hub for researchers in the fields of political and social sciences, history, anthropology, evolutionary biology, organization and peace studies. Practitioners who are interested in fundamental social change may also find the issues raised to be of interest. As such, this book provides a generalist, evidence-based discussion of a multi-disciplinary nature that may pique the interest of both experts and amateurs alike.