Democracy: A beginner?s guide

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As new democracies struggle for survival in and elsewhere, this timely work confronts the challenges facing modern democracy and asks: is it still worth fighting for? Opening with the history of an idea dating back to Ancient Greece, this clear and accessible guide not only explains the theory behind democracy, but also considers its practical application, addressing such issues as: Corporate might: does big business undermine the democratic process? The UN in action: can democracy operate internationally? Citizens? juries: people power or talking shops? Designed for the activist, the student and the simply curious, this challenging, informative and highly readable book features such useful resources as an annotated list of websites and organisations and a glossary of key terms. As both a handbook and a manifesto, it offers new directions for a modern democracy based on freedom, equality and active participation at every level of society. He has worked as a consultant on issues of democracy to many international organisations, including the UN, and has written and edited numerous books on the subject.

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David Beetham is Professor Emeritus of Politics at the , a Fellow of the Human Rights Centre at the , and Associate Director of the UK Democratic Audit. Table of Contents List of tables and figures Preface and acknowledgements Introduction: what is democracy? The meaning of democracy Direct and representative democracy Collective action and individual choice Democratic ideas in practice Citizen rights institutions of representative and accountable government The associational life of civil society Sources of disillusion in the ?old? democracies Decline in government autonomy Decline in government capacity Declining credibility Success and setback in the new and emergent democracies Legacies of transition Consolidating and deepening democracy Globalising democracy Democracy promotion Democratising global institutions Democracy and the European Union Reviving democracy: new forms of participation Participation in government Co-decision in devolved government Deliberative polls and citizens? juries Referenda and citizens? initiatives Digital democracy List of democracy and human rights organisations and websites Databases on democracy and public opinion Index