No Representation Without Consultation: A Citizen's Guide to Participatory Democracy - Softcover

Nanz, Patrizia; Leggewie, Claus

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1771134070 ISBN 13: 9781771134071

Publisher: Between the Lines, 2019

Synopsis

Democracy is in crisis. As neo-Nazis, right-wing populists, and authoritarians, old and new, stake their claims around the world, democracy faces its greatest challenge yet. The only way to save it is to change it.

Democracy as we know it is flawed. The three pillars that divide power in liberal democracy--the executive, legislative, and judicial--keep citizens from making decisions about policies that affect them most. For a true democracy to flourish, argue Patrizia Nanz and Claus Leggewie, we need a fourth pillar: the consultative.

This short and accessible guide to new kind of political engagement offers a chronicle of the political past and present--including an important analysis of right-wing populism's recent and historic allure--and a robust analysis of the accomplishments of protest movements and citizens' groups. With a rare optimism, which values the wisdom of the masses over the narrow-mindedness of today's tyrants, this guide is a modern call-to-arms for a more democratic future.

About this title

About the Authors

Patrizia Nanz is a director of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) and a professor of Transformative Sustainability Studies at the University of Potsdam.

Claus Leggewie is a director of the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI) in Essen and of the Centre for Global Cooperation Research in Duisberg, and is a member of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WGBU).

Edition details

• Publisher: Between the Lines
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1771134070
• ISBN 13: 9781771134071
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160