Overview

Few political concepts are as emblematic of our era as democratic accountability. In a time of political and economic turmoil, in which global forces have destabilized conventional relations of political authority, democratic accountability has come to symbolize both what is absent and what is desired in our polity. Situated at the intersection of democratic theory and international studies, Accountability and Democracy provides an in-depth critical analysis of accountability. Through an engagement with several key democratic traditions, both ancient and modern, the book paints a rich picture of democratic accountability as a multi-dimensional concept harboring competing imperatives and diverse instantiations. Contrary to dominant views that emphasize discipline and control, Craig Borowiak offers an original and refreshing view of democratic accountability as a source of mutuality, participation, and political transformation. He both creatively engages conventional electoral models of accountability and moves beyond them by situating democratic accountability within more deliberative, participatory and agonistic contexts. Provocatively, the book also challenges deep-seated understandings of democratic accountability as an expression of popular sovereignty. Borowiak instead argues that accountable governance is incompatible with all claims to ultimate authority, regardless of whether they refer to the demos, the state, or cosmopolitan public law. Rather than conceiving of democratic accountability as a way to legitimize a secure and sovereign political order, the book contends that destabilization and democratic insurgence are indispensable and often neglected facets of democratic accountability practices. For contemporary scholars, practitioners and activists grappling with the challenge of building democratic legitimacy into world politics, the book urges greater reflexivity and nuance in how democratic accountability is evoked and implemented. It offers insights into the myriad ways democratic accountability has been thwarted in the past, while also cultivating a sense of expanded possibility for how it might be conceived for the present.

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9780199778256

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<br> Accountability and Democracy brings important insights from classical political theory to bear on pressing contemporary issues. This is an advance in democratic theory and in understanding popular participation in the modern state. <br>-Craig Calhoun, President, Social Science Research Council<p><br> Borowiak's book is a magisterial achievement. 'Democratic accountability' has become a buzzword of our day and is at the heart of political and economic struggles around the world. With great intellectual dexterity, Borowiak takes us on a path-breaking intellectual journey ranging across time, space, and multiple disciplines -leaving no valuable insight behind, yet excluding none from critical scrutiny. This book is the definitive work on accountability and offers indispensable insights into the dynamic relationships between formal institutions and informal publics, as well as those between established political communities and those who do not yet count. <br>-Romand Coles, Director

Accountability and Democracy brings important insights from classical political theory to bear on pressing contemporary issues. This is an advance in democratic theory and in understanding popular participation in the modern state. -Craig Calhoun, President, Social Science Research Council Borowiak's book is a magisterial achievement. 'Democratic accountability' has become a buzzword of our day and is at the heart of political and economic struggles around the world. With great intellectual dexterity, Borowiak takes us on a path-breaking intellectual journey ranging across time, space, and multiple disciplines -leaving no valuable insight behind, yet excluding none from critical scrutiny. This book is the definitive work on accountability and offers indispensable insights into the dynamic relationships between formal institutions and informal publics, as well as those between established political communities and those who do not yet count. -Romand Coles, Director, Program for Community, Culture, and Environment, Northern Arizona University This book evokes all the right descriptors. In spirit it is daring and creative, yet also modest. In execution it is precise and systematic, yet also movingly written. Borowiak opens up a new democracy of post-sovereign community and legitimacy. It is a compelling invitation. -Jan Aart Scholte, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick In this superb book, Craig Borowiak has done the field a great favor by adding theoretical sophistication and historical context to many of the contemporary debates about accountability. He convincingly links a wide array of literatures with a clear and accessible vision and advances arguments about democratic accountability and global governance in an engaging and nuanced way. -Keally McBride, Department of Politics, University of San Francisco Borowiak offers an anti-foundationalist critique of the commonly accepted view of democratic accountability that significantly expands its meaning. ELThis analysis adds an important dimension to modern accounts of democracy. -- CHOICE The author deserves credit for going where other scholars would fear to tread. He admirably illustrates the wide range of political phenomena and social-scientific literatures that bear directly on the subject of accountability. --Perspectives on Politics

Author Information

Craig T. Borowiak is Associate Professor of Political Science at Haverford College.

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