How do the people who make up American democracy view and judge its process?

How should democracies balance the hopes and constraints of their societies with the architecture of their constitutions and institutions to secure freedom, promote citizenship, and foster prosperity? In The Construction of Democracy, leading scholars from seven different countries—and key decision makers from eight—come together to analyze the dimensions of democratic design and draw not only practical but feasible recommendations. Here citizens, politicians, and government officials offer valuable insight into the craft of politics with real examples of success and failures from some of the leading policy makers of our time—including the president of Portugal, former presidents of Brazil and Colombia, and a former prime minister of India. Drawing on the work of the Club of Madrid's Conference on Democratic Transition and Consolidation, the contributors discuss building and sustaining a contemporary democratic state, strengthening pluralism and public participation, designing effective constitutions, confronting economic challenges for new democracies, and controlling corruption. In a rare instance where the expertise of practical-minded scholars is melded with the experience of thoughtful policy makers, this volume offers much-needed insight to others seeking sensible and effective solutions. Contributors: Carlos Blanco, minister for the reform of the state, Venezuela; Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former president of Brazil; Aníbal Cavaco Silva, president of Portugal; Antônio Octávio Cintra, the Research Service of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies; Rut Diamint, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, Buenos Aires; Jorge I. Domínguez, Harvard University; Grzegorz Ekiert, Harvard University; César Gaviria, former president of Colombia; Anna Grzymala-Busse, University of Michigan; Inder Kumar Gujral, former prime minister of India; Anthony Jones, the Gorbachev Foundation of North America; Marcelo Barroso Lacombe, the Research Service of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies; José Luis Méndez, El Colegio de México; Andrew Richards, Instituto Juan March of the Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Ciencias Sociales, Madrid; Susan Rose-Ackerman, Yale University; Richard Simeon, University of Toronto; Luc Turgeon, University of Toronto.

Swift explores how democracy is constricted and deformed by economic power-brokers and a self-serving political class from Birmingham to Bangalore. Including chapter-length discussions of topics such as eco-democracy, democratizing the economy, and democracy in the southern hemisphere, the book is also a guide to the rich diversity of forms of elected government and contains practical ideas for empowering today's voters around the world.

'Scintillating ... thought-provoking ... one of the very best of the great crop of recent books on the subject.' Andrew Rawnsley, Observer Democracy has died hundreds of times, all over the world. We think we know what that looks like: chaos descends and the military arrives to restore order, until the people can be trusted to look after their own affairs again. However, there is a danger that this picture is out of date. Until very recently, most citizens of Western democracies would have imagined that the end was a long way off, and very few would have thought it might be happening before their eyes as Trump, Brexit and paranoid populism have become a reality. David Runciman, one of the UK's leading professors of politics, answers all this and more as he surveys the political landscape of the West, helping us to spot the new signs of a collapsing democracy and advising us on what could come next.

Drawing on the tools of game design to fix democracy. Anyone who has ever been to a public hearing or community meeting would agree that participatory democracy can be boring. Hours of repetitive presentations, alternatingly alarmist or complacent, for or against, accompanied by constant heckling, often with no clear outcome or decision. Is this the best democracy can offer? In Making Democracy Fun, Josh Lerner offers a novel solution for the sad state of our deliberative democracy: the power of good game design. What if public meetings featured competition and collaboration (such as team challenges), clear rules (presented and modeled in multiple ways), measurable progress (such as scores and levels), and engaging sounds and visuals? These game mechanics would make meetings more effective and more enjoyable—even fun. Lerner reports that institutions as diverse as the United Nations, the U.S. Army, and grassroots community groups are already using games and game-like processes to encourage participation. Drawing on more than a decade of practical experience and extensive research, he explains how games have been integrated into a variety of public programs in North and South America. He offers rich stories of game techniques in action, in children's councils, social service programs, and participatory budgeting and planning. With these real-world examples in mind, Lerner describes five kinds of games and twenty-six game mechanics that are especially relevant for democracy. He finds that when governments and organizations use games and design their programs to be more like games, public participation becomes more attractive, effective, and transparent. Game design can make democracy fun—and make it work.

This book comprehensively reviews one of the most salient, ongoing debates at the heart of the European Union (EU) today: democratic reform.

""Politics 101: How Politics Work Around the World"" offers a comprehensive exploration of global political systems, international relations, and citizen engagement. This accessible guide demystifies the complex realm of politics, examining how nations govern themselves and interact on the world stage. The book's central argument is that despite the apparent differences in political systems worldwide, there are underlying principles and patterns that can help us understand and navigate the global political landscape. Structured in four parts, the book covers: 1. Basic political concepts 2. Diverse political systems 3. International relations 4. Citizen engagement It provides intriguing insights into the evolution of governance from ancient civilizations to modern nation-states, and examines case studies from democracies, autocracies, and hybrid regimes. The book's unique approach lies in its global perspective, moving beyond a Western-centric view to include diverse political systems from around the world. ""Politics 101"" emphasizes the role of emerging technologies and social media in shaping modern political landscapes, offering fresh insights into how politics is evolving in the digital age. By balancing academic rigor with clear explanations and real-world examples, the book equips readers with the knowledge and tools to become more informed and engaged citizens, better able to understand international events and participate in political processes.

Since its publication in 1984, Chants Democratic has endured as a classic narrative on labor and the rise of American democracy. In it, Sean Wilentz explores the dramatic social and intellectual changes that accompanied early industrialization in New York. He provides a panoramic chronicle of New York City's labor strife, social movements, and political turmoil in the eras of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson. Twenty years after its initial publication, Wilentz has added a new preface that takes stock of his own thinking, then and now, about New York City and the rise of the American working class.

Hans J. Morgenthau is primarily considered a theorist of power politics, often associated with the six principles of realism and the national interest. Shedding new light on the theorist by digging into his archives to show his wide-ranging views on politics, these selected lectures demonstrate the broad set of political themes that were important to Morgenthau and his ability to engage classical political philosophy in a contemporary setting. This book reveals a scholar who drew on Aristotelian insights to understand the politics of the Mafia in New York City, regime change in Latin America, and the foreign policy of the United States. Based on Aristotle's The Politics, these lectures discuss a wide spectrum of history and theory in order to examine the realm of politics. This collection serves as the only published seminars from Morgenthau, revealing him as both a teacher and a thinker. Topics include: Equality to Freedom; Ethics and Politics; Justice and Revolution.

This book attempts to lay bare the unhappy marriage between democracy and paternalism, and presents a new and mostly historical case for furthering the democratic experiment in the United States. This case leans heavily on recent historical events, but it also relies on insights derived from the founders of the American Nation and less on the statistical sort of arguments often employed by social scientists and journalists. For additional information, visit http: //realdemocracy.typepad.com/blog/.