Ruling The Void: The Hollowing of Western Democracy - Softcover

Peter Mair

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1844673243 ISBN 13: 9781844673247

Publisher: Verso, 2013

Synopsis

In the long-established democracies of Western Europe, electoral turnouts are in decline, membership is shrinking in the major parties, and those who remain loyal partisans are sapped of enthusiasm. Peter Mair’s new book weighs the impact of these changes, which together show that, after a century of democratic aspiration, electorates are deserting the political arena. Mair examines the alarming parallel development that has seen Europe’s political elites remodel themselves as a homogeneous professional class, withdrawing into state institutions that offer relative stability in a world of fickle voters. Meanwhile, non-democratic agencies and practices proliferate and gain credibility—not least among them the European Union itself, an organization contributing to the depoliticization of the member states and one whose notorious ‘democratic deficit’ reflects the deliberate intentions of its founders.

Ruling the Void offers an authoritative and chilling assessment of the prospects for popular political representation today, not only in the varied democracies of Europe but throughout the developed world.

About this title

Review:

The age of party democracy has passed. Although the parties themselves remain, they have become so disconnected from the wider society, and pursue a form of competition that is so lacking in meaning, that they no longer seem capable of sustaining democracy in its present form. --Peter Mair, from the introduction to Ruling the Void

Synopsis:

The argument that Western democracy is being hollowed out, as political participation declines and party allegiance weakens, is now widely cited. Yet the indicators can be uncertain and until now there hasn't been a comprehensive comparative study. "Ruling the Void" analyzes democratic trends over the last few decades, in Europe and America, and argues that there are two complementary processes at work. Popular disengagement, and the withdrawal of political elites from a representative role, are both contributing to the death of the political party - and with it the characteristic form of Western democracy. This landmark study will become a reference point for anyone interested in the future of representative democracy.

About this edition

• Publisher: Verso
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1844673243
• ISBN 13: 9781844673247
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192