The idea of the public sphere as the space where citizens come together to deliberate on issues of common concern and to critique and influence the government has been one of the most influential and contested concepts since the beginnings of debates on the constitution of democracy. It remains central to contemporary issues such as the democratic potential of the internet, the challenges posed by the resurgence of fundamentalisms, and the possibilities for a post-national, cosmopolitan, political order in the age of globalization. This four volume major reference collection is a 'must-have' guide to the idea of the public sphere, its history, the ongoing struggles over its meaning and importance to democracy, and its continuing relevance to emerging issues. Volume One: Discovering the Public Sphere Volume Two: The Political Public Sphere Volume Three: The Cultural Public Sphere Volume Four: The Future of the Public Sphere
This book captures Malaysia's foreign policy over the first fifty years and beyond since the date of the country's formal independence in 1957. The author provides "macro-historical" narratives of foreign policy practices and outcomes over distinct time periods under the tenures of the five prime ministers. One chapter delves into relations with ......
"The Theory of Democracy Revisited" is divided into two parts, each of which is self contained. Volume I deals, in the main, with issues that have surfaced in the last decade while Volume II covers themes whose discussion began in ancient Greece. The two volumes, however, also differ in their respective underlying threads. In volume I the contemporary idea of democracy is examined. The classical theory of democracy did not draw, in any systematic manner, a distinction between ideal system and reality. Today, however, we are all highly sensitized to the hiatus between the ideal and the real. The normative (prescriptive) theory, now, by and large, applies to, and elaborates on, the ideals and values of democracy while empirical (descriptive) theory describes how democracies actually perform. The crucial problems thus become: to what extent and in what manner are ideals realized and realizable. This is very much the focus of Volume I. Volume II is more historical and considers the endless debate on power, coercion, liberty, equality, laws, rights, justice, representation, that shaped the vocabulary of politics from Aristotle to Tocqueville.
Britain at the Polls 2005 continues the tradition of previous editions by providing incisive commentary on the 2005 general elections in the United Kingdom. John Bartle joins Anthony King and a group of eminent political experts to provide a measured analysis of the key issues and events that affected the election results. Contributors examine the behavior and performance of each of the main political parties, look at the impact of regional political parties in the UK, assess the role of the media, and analyze how events on the international stage, such as Iraq, affected the election results. The result is an authoritative and readable guide to the intricacies and outcomes of the 2005 election.
How can a developing, democratic and predominantly Muslim country like Indonesia manage its foreign relations, while facing a myriad of security concerns and dilemmas in the increasingly complex post-Cold War international politics, without compromising its national interests and sacrificing its independence? Approaching this problem from the ......
Asia is rising and will wield greater economic and strategic weight in world affairs. However Asia also faces numerous challenges like poverty, domestic instability, deficiencies in governance and the rule of law, inter-state disputes and rivalries, and military build-ups, to name just a few. The celebration of Asia's rise would be premature if it ......
Taking a view of inequality as encompassing the distribution of wealth, risk, status, and well-being, this work explores how institutions, individuals, and coalitions contribute to the often surprising twists and turns of distributive politics. It identifies a variety of psychological and institutional factors that influence distributive outcomes.
COROLINE C. BEER'S NEW BOOK EXPLORES the consequences of democratic politics in Mexico. Focusing on struggles at the subnational level, she assesses how increased electoral competition alters the long-term distribution of power across political institutions in ways that shift power away from established elites and into the hands of ordinary ......
Can Islamic societies embrace democracy? This title maintains that it is possible, demonstrating that Islam is not inherently hostile to the idea of democracy. It argues that the key to understanding the integration of Islam and democracy lies in social institutions as well as the every days experiences.
