Democratizing Inequalities: Dilemmas of the New Public Participation - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1479883360 ISBN 13: 9781479883363

Publisher: NYU Press, 2015

Synopsis

Opportunities to “have your say,” “get involved,” and “join theconversation” are everywhere in public life. From crowdsourcing and town hallmeetings to government experiments with social media, participatory politics increasinglyseem like a revolutionary antidote to the decline of civic engagement and thethinning of the contemporary public sphere. Many argue that, with newtechnologies, flexible organizational cultures, and a supportive policymakingcontext, we now hold the keys to large-scale democratic revitalization.  Democratizing Inequalities shows that the equation may not be sosimple. Modern societies face a variety of structural problems that limitpotentials for true democratization, as well as vast inequalities in politicalaction and voice that are not easily resolved by participatory solutions. Popularparticipation may even reinforce elite power in unexpected ways. Resisting anoversimplified account of participation as empowerment, this collection ofessays brings together a diverse range of leading scholars to reveal surprisinginsights into how dilemmas of the new public participation play out in politicsand organizations. Through investigations including fights over theauthenticity of business-sponsored public participation, the surge of the TeaParty, the role of corporations in electoral campaigns, and participatorybudgeting practices in Brazil, DemocratizingInequalities seeks to refresh our understanding of public participation andtrace the reshaping of authority in today’s political environment.

About this title

Review:

“The volume clearly illustrates the complexities of democracy and deliberative politics.  It shows us that, despite participatory processes, we have yet to perfect democracy. The book challenges us to consider whether deliberative processes achieve what we want them to.”-Mobilization

“This is an exceptionally timely volume,consistently strong in its individual contributions and coherent in itscollective analysis. DemocratizingInequalities both defines a major question for contemporary politics―howand why does political participation matter―and advances a convincingcontrarian argument. This volume and the questions raised within highlight avital conversation about political theory and policy that is likely to be withus for many years.”-Elisabeth Clemens,author of The People's Lobby

"The authors of Democratizing Inequalities set out to problematize the belief in public participation as a simplistic social good. With this collection of research-based studies and theoretical assessments of the field of participation and democracy studies they have thoughtfully and thoroughly achieved their goal." -Lynne M. Woehrle ,Mount Mary University, Mobilization

"Democratizing Inequalities is a timely and provocative compilationthat demonstrates how participatory practices across a range of expected andunexpected locations cut both ways―opening up avenues for citizen engagementwhile also limiting the democratic potential assumed to follow. The chapters inthis volume are a welcome empirical corrective to celebratory discourses ofcitizen participation, and the book is certain to be an important resource forresearchers and practitioners interested in the democratic possibilities of the'new public participation.'"-Debra Minkoff,author of Organizing for Equality

“The book is incredibly timely and deserves attention for its quality of scholarship and for its subject matter. It is an example of how research can both be scholarly and have uses for actors outside of academia.”-,Contemporary Sociology

About the Author:

Caroline W. Lee is Associate Professor of Sociology at Lafayette College. Her research explores the intersection of social movements, business, and democracy in American politics. She is the author of Do-It-Yourself Democracy: The Rise of the Public Engagement Industry.

About this edition

• Publisher: NYU Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1479883360
• ISBN 13: 9781479883363
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320
• Editor: Lee Caroline W., McQuarrie Michael, Walker Edward T.