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OverviewIt's a commonplace that citizens in Western democracies are disaffected with their political leaders and traditional democratic institutions. But in Democratic Legitimacy, Pierre Rosanvallon, one of today's leading political thinkers, argues that this crisis of confidence is partly a crisis of understanding. He makes the case that the sources of democratic legitimacy have shifted and multiplied over the past thirty years and that we need to comprehend and make better use of these new sources of legitimacy in order to strengthen our political self-belief and commitment to democracy. Drawing on examples from France and the United States, Rosanvallon notes that there has been a major expansion of independent commissions, NGOs, regulatory authorities, and watchdogs in recent decades. At the same time, constitutional courts have become more willing and able to challenge legislatures. These institutional developments, which serve the democratic values of impartiality and reflexivity, have been accompanied by a new attentiveness to what Rosanvallon calls the value of proximity, as governing structures have sought to find new spaces for minorities, the particular, and the local.To improve our democracies, we need to use these new sources of legitimacy more effectively and we need to incorporate them into our accounts of democratic government. An original contribution to the vigorous international debate about democratic authority and legitimacy, this promises to be one of Rosanvallon's most important books. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Pierre Rosanvallon , Arthur GoldhammerPublisher: Princeton University Press Imprint: Princeton University Press Dimensions: Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 23.50cm Weight: 0.510kg ISBN: 9780691149486ISBN 10: 0691149488 Pages: 248 Publication Date: 25 July 2011 Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly , Professional & Vocational Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: Manufactured on demand We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier. Language: English Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Decentering of Democracies 1 Part One: Dual Legitimacy 15 Chapter One: The Legitimacy of Establishment 17 Chapter Two: The Legitimacy of Identification with Generality 33 Chapter Three: The Great Transformation 60 Part Two: The Legitimacy of Impartiality 73 Chapter Four: Independent Authorities: History and Problems 75 Chapter Five: The Democracy of Impartiality 87 Chapter Six: Is Impartiality Politics? 104 Part Three: Reflexive Legitimacy 121 Chapter Seven: Reflexive Democracy 123 Chapter Eight: The Institutions of Reflexivity 137 Chapter Nine: On the Importance of Not Being Elected 154 Part Four: The Legitimacy of Proximity 169 Chapter Ten: Attention to Particularity 171 Chapter Eleven: The Politics of Presence 187 Chapter Twelve: Interactive Democracy 203 Conclusion: The Democracy of Appropriation 219 Index 227ReviewsThis book is an illuminating analysis of the transformed problem of political legitimacy that exists in contemporary democracy. It should be read by anyone seriously interested in thinking through the dangers posed by the climate of political distrust that has become normal in democratic regimes... Rosanvallon here undertakes a comprehensive, in-depth investigation of the problem of legitimacy. He provides a new framework and new vocabulary for analyzing the problem and hence proposing a way forward. --Choice [T]his excellent book should stimulate the reflection of those who seek to better understand the evolution of democracy and its justifications... Rosanvallon's quest for the sources of democratic legitimacy in an uncertain age opens up a fascinating dialogue between the past and present, highlighting how three key countries have struggled with concerns for liberty and the democratic idea. --Survival [T]he book's main attraction: sharp, self-contained historical accounts of specific issues and ideas, where Rosanvallon's thinking is clearly at its best. --Paulina Ochoa Espejo, European Political Science An original contribution to the vigorous international debate about democratic authority and legitimacy, this promises to be one of Rosanvallon's most important books. --World Book Industry This book is an illuminating analysis of the transformed problem of political legitimacy that exists in contemporary democracy. It should be read by anyone seriously interested in thinking through the dangers posed by the climate of political distrust that has become normal in democratic regimes... Rosanvallon here undertakes a comprehensive, in-depth investigation of the problem of legitimacy. He provides a new framework and new vocabulary for analyzing the problem and hence proposing a way forward. -- Choice This book is an illuminating analysis of the transformed problem of political legitimacy that exists in contemporary democracy. It should be read by anyone seriously interested in thinking through the dangers posed by the climate of political distrust that has become normal in democratic regimes... Rosanvallon here undertakes a comprehensive, in-depth investigation of the problem of legitimacy. He provides a new framework and new vocabulary for analyzing the problem and hence proposing a way forward. Choice [T]his excellent book should stimulate the reflection of those who seek to better understand the evolution of democracy and its justifications... Rosanvallon's quest for the sources of democratic legitimacy in an uncertain age opens up a fascinating dialogue between the past and present, highlighting how three key countries have struggled with concerns for liberty and the democratic idea. Survival Author InformationPierre Rosanvallon is professor at the Collge de France and the cole des Hautes tudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris. His many books include Counter- Democracy, The Demands of Liberty, Democracy Past and Future, and The New Social Question (Princeton). Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |