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Democracy requires a connection to the 'will of the people'. What does that mean in a world of 'fake news', relentless advocacy, dialogue mostly among the like-minded, and massive spending to manipulate public opinion? What kind of opinion can the public have under such conditions? What would democracy be like if the people were really thinking in depth about the policies they must live with? If they really 'deliberated' with good information about their political choices? This book argues that 'deliberative democracy' is not utopian. It is a practical solution to many of democracy's ills. It can supplement existing institutions with practical reforms. It can apply at all levels of government and for many different kinds of policy choices. This volume speaks to a recurring dilemma: listen to the people and get the angry voices of populism or rely on widely distrusted elites and get policies that seem out of touch with the public's concerns. Instead, there are methods for getting a representative and thoughtful public voice that is really worth listening to. Democracy is under siege in most countries, where democratic institutions have low approval and face a resurgent threat from authoritarian regimes. Deliberative democracy can provide an antidote and can reinvigorate our democratic politics. This book draws on the author's research with many collaborators on 'Deliberative Polling'-a process conducted in 27 countries on six continents. It contributes both to political theory and to the empirical study of public opinion and participation. It should interest anyone concerned about the future of democracy and how it can be revitalized.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter One: Contours of a Crisis Chapter Two: Locating Representative Politics Chapter Three: Are we Becoming Unrepresentable? Chapter Four: Is the Party Over? Chapter Five: Citizens against Representation Chapter Six: Democracy after Representation.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Representative politics is in crisis. Trust in politicians is at an all-time low. Fewer people are voting or joining political parties, and our interest in parliamentary politics is declining fast. Even oppositional and radical parties that should be benefitting from public disenchantment with politics are suffering. But different forms of political activity are emerging to replace representative politics: instant politics, direct action, insurgent politics. We are leaving behind traditional representation, and moving towards a politics without representatives. In this provocative new book, Simon Tormey explores the changes that are underway, drawing on a rich range of examples from the Arab Spring to the Indignados uprising in Spain, street protests in Brazil and Turkey to the emergence of new initiatives such as Anonymous and Occupy. Tormey argues that the easy assumptions that informed our thinking about the nature and role of parties, and party based democracy have to be rethought. We are entering a period of fast politics, evanescent politics, a politics of the street, of the squares, of micro-parties, pop-up parties, and demonstrations. This may well be the end of representative politics as we know it, but an exciting new era of political engagement is just beginning.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• * Contents * Preface * Part I: The History of Representation * Chapter One: The Roots of Political Representation * Chapter Two: Representation vs. Democracy * Part II: The Logic of Representation * Chapter Three: Representing Individuals * Chapter Four: Representing Groups * Part III: The Politics of Representation * Chapter Five: Representing the State * Chapter Six: Representation Beyond the Nation-State * Epilogue: * Representing the Future? * Bibliography.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

What is representation? What does it mean when a politician represents citizens in government? How can citizens be represented beyond the boundaries of the nation-state? These are just some of the questions which will be answered by David Runciman and Monica Brito Vieira as they explain why representation should be understood as one of the key concepts in modern politics. The first part of the book examines the historical roots of the concept of representation, from its origins in ancient Rome through to its role in the revolutionary politics of the modern world.The second looks at different varieties of representation - in law as well as politics. The final part asks how the concept of representation can help us think creatively about current and future challenges facing the world. Representation is too often treated as a secondary or qualifying idea - as in the phrase 'representative democracy'. This book argues that we have this the wrong way round. Representation is the foundational idea in almost all areas of our political life. Making sense of representation in its own terms is crucial for seeing why democracy functions the way it does, and for exploring how it might function differently.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Preface. Acknowledgments.
• 1. Who is a Good Representative? An Ethics of Democratic Representation. The Proper Scope of an Ethics of Democratic Representation. Three Assumptions. The Theoretical Contribution of The Good Representative. The Structure of The Good Representative.
• 2. Moving beyond Descriptive Representation. Democratic Representation and Descriptive Representation. Two Problems with Descriptive Representation. Justifying the Silence about Criteria. The Need for Criteria. The Need for Democratic Standards.
• 3. Democratic Advocacy and Good Democratic Representation. The Scope of Democratic Representation. Sources of Authority for Democratic Representatives. Holding Democratic Representatives Accountable. Existing Standards for Identifying Bad Representatives. Why Democratic Standards? The Importance of Function. The Three Virtues. Democracy and Democratic Citizens' Preferences.
• 4. The Virtue of Fair-Mindedness. Political Efficacy. Democratic Efficacy. Why Civic Equality? The Meaning of Civic Equality. Using the First Virtue to Evaluate Representatives. Two Problems with the First Virtue.
• 5. The Virtue of Critical Trust Building. Democratic Representation and Participation. Problems with Evaluating Representatives by Citizen Participation. The Virtue of Critical Trust Building. Promoting Critical Trust. Problems with the Second Virtue.
• 6. The Virtue of Good Gatekeeping. Developing the Right Relationships. The Scope of Mutual Relations. The Virtue of Good Gatekeeping. A Perspective of Exclusion. Problems with the Third Virtue. Conclusion.
• 7. Preferable Democratic Representatives: Real-World Political Virtues. Preferability and the Virtues. Preferability and System-Dependency. Are Good Descriptive Representatives Good Democratic Representatives? Choosing among the Virtues. Bad Democratic Representatives. Notes. References. Index.
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In "The Good Representative", Suzanne Dovi argues that democratic citizens should assess their representatives by their display of three virtues: they must be fair-minded, build critical trust, and be good gatekeepers. This important book provides standards for evaluating the democratic credentials of representatives. It identifies the problems with and obstacles to good democratic representation. It argues that democratic representation, even good democratic representation, is not always desirable. Timely and original, this book rejects the tendency to equate respect for the preferences of citizens with neutrality on the standards used in choosing their representatives.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• PART ONE: THE COMPARATIVE APPROACH TO DEMOCRACY The Comparative Approach to Democracy - Hans Keman The Development of the Study of Comparative Politics - Hans Daalder Comparing Democracies - Hans Keman
• Theories and Evidence PART TWO: PARTIES AND GOVERNMENT IN DEMOCRACIES Comparative Government and Democracy - Ian Budge et al Voters, Elections and Ideology in European Democracies - Paul Pennings In the Aggregate - Peter Mair Mass Electoral Behaviour in Western Europe, 1950-2000 PART THREE: DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS AND POLITICAL ACTION Interest Intermediation - Klaus Armingeon The Cases of Consociational Democracy and Corporatism The Impact of Political Parties, Constitutional Structures and Veto Players on Public Policy - Manfred G Schmidt Comparative Politics and the Welfare State - Kees van Kersbergen and Uwe Becker PART FOUR: THE POLITICAL PERFORMANCE OF DEMOCRACIES Policy Performance in the Democratic State - Francis G Castles An Emergent Field of Study Democratic Performance - Jan-Erik Lane and Svante Ersson Are There Institutional Effects? Democratic Institutions, Governance and Political Performance - Hans Keman with Malika A[um]it Mallouk.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Democracy is the most widely used way of organizing politics in the contemporary world. Comparative Democratic Politics brings together a team of renowned international scholars to provide a comprehensive review of theory and research in this essential area of comparative study. A key aim to the book is to introduce and understand representative democracy as a political process and contemporary system of governance in need of constant attention and scrutiny. Four important themes include: * the contribution of comparative politics as a distinct field within political science to our understanding of democracy, democratic politics and democratic theory * what we can learn from a comparative analysis of the role, functioning and behaviour of the principal actors (electorate, parties and institutions) across nations * the relationship between politics and public policy formation and processes of democratic decision-making and corresponding policy-making capacity * how we measure contemporary democracy or democratic performance in both a procedural and material sense. Comparative Democratic Politics will afford new and important insights to the contemporary study of representative democracy. It will be essential reading for all students and academics of political science and public policy seeking a deeper understanding of both the world's so called established and emerging democracies.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Introduction--
• 1. Direct democracy and representation: selection of officials in Athens--
• 2. The triumph of election--
• 3. The principle of distinction--
• 4. A democratic aristocracy--
• 5. The verdict of the people--
• 6. Metamorphoses of representative government-- Conclusion-- Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

The thesis of this original and provocative book is that representative government should be understood as a combination of democratic and undemocratic, aristocratic elements. Professor Manin challenges the conventional view that representative democracy is no more than an indirect form of government by the people, in which citizens elect representatives only because they cannot assemble and govern in person. The argument is developed by examining the historical moments when the present institutional arrangements were chosen from among the then available alternatives. Professor Manin reminds us that while today representative institutions and democracy appear as virtually indistinguishable, when representative government was first established in Europe and America, it was designed in opposition to democracy proper. Drawing on the procedures used in earlier republican systems, from classical Athens to Renaissance Florence, in order to highlight the alternatives that were forsaken, Manin brings to the fore the generally overlooked results of representative mechanisms. These include the elitist aspect of elections and the non-binding character of campaign promises.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)