The success or failure of democratic reform in Indonesia is a key question for Indonesia itself and for the surrounding region. Although Indonesia's transition to democracy holds out the promise of good governance, this cannot be taken for granted as the recent military takeover in Thailand shows. This book is about the challenge of making ......
Provides a survey of the historical and contemporary relationships between religious expression and liberal democracy in the modern world. This book explores contemporary case studies, such as conflicts between Mormons and Evangelicals in the United States, liberation theology in Latin America, Islam and the state in Uzbekistan, and more.
Uses examples from history to demonstrate the genesis of political and religious "whirlwinds." This title explores contemporary case studies, such as conflicts between Mormons and Evangelicals in the United States, liberation theology in Latin America, Islam and the state in Uzbekistan, and radical Christian reconstructionism.
Suggests how we can account for the limitations of US democracy and how remedies can be created that ensure more meaningful participation by a greater range of people.
What is the state of democracy at the turn of the twenty-first century? To answer this question, seven scholars lived for a year in five North Carolina communities. This book illustrates how the social and economic changes of the last three decades have made new routes to active democratic participation possible while making others more difficult.
Democracy and the European Union comprehensively reviews one of the most salient, on going debates at the heart of the European Union (EU) today, democratic reform. Democracy and the European Union a thorough evaluation of how democracy might best be defined in the transnational context of the EU and explores the key strategies that have been deployed to enhance the Union's democracy from the Single European Act to the present day. In considering why the strategies have been unsuccessful, Alex Warleigh contends that the EU can only democratize itself by abandoning federalism, and working towards a more participatory democracy based on flexibility and active European citizenship. Democracy and the European Union therefore advances important new ways in which the EU's 'democratic deficit' problems might be addressed more effectively than in the past. Marking a significant contribution to this key on-going debate, Democracy in the European Union: Theory, Practice and Reform will be essential reading for all students, scholars and professionals seeking a deeper understanding of the nature of the EU and the reform challenges it faces into the twenty-first century.
The start of accession talks between Turkey and the European Union presents an important challenge for Europe and the Muslim world. Although Turkey has often been cited as a model for the accommodation of Islam and secularism, Islam is still a profound factor in Turkish politics. This book explores the conditions under which an Islamic movement or ......
A wide-ranging overview of the processes of democratization in post-Communist Europe, placing the transitions in these states within a broad European and global context. The authors introduce the concepts and theories of democracy and then look at the emerging politics of the new democracies in terms of: the formation of civil society; economic ......
Legislative Life and the Meaning of Public Service
Through moving personal interviews, the author allows legislators to tell their own stories about how and why they came to politics, the experience of serving in their state legislature, their decisions to stay or leave, and the many trials they face in the name of public service. He contends that these politicians do have the public good in mind.
