In Search of Democracy

Author:   Larry Diamond (Stanford University, USA)
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
ISBN:  

9780415781282


Pages:   470
Publication Date:   16 July 2015
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
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In Search of Democracy


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Overview

"This book takes stock of democratic progress in the world, reflecting upon the causes of democratic difficulty in the world. Diamond addresses some of the critical conditions for democratic success, analyzes democratic dilemmas and prospects in particular regions and countries, and then concludes by assessing the policy implications for promoting and assisting democratic development internationally. The book begins with a new Introduction that introduces the reader to the key concepts of electoral democracy, liberal democracy, consolidated democracy, and good governance, while explaining the relationships among these terms. It examines the quality of democracy, arguing that the prospects for democratic stability and consolidation depend on the improvement of democratic quality, so that democracy is deepened and becomes more liberal. Part I provides the comparative and theoretical foundations of the book. Its opening chapter is a new essay that brings up to the current moment (using the Freedom House data through the end of 2009) the trends in freedom and democracy in the world and the recent travails of democracy. It updates arguments that we are in a period now of democratic recession, globally. Part II of the book then looks at the circumstances of Africa and its search for democracy, analyzing the picture of democratic progress and difficulty in Africa up to the current moment. Part III examines other cases such as China, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Iraq. Part IV of the book picks up on the arguments of many previous analytical chapters to advance a policy perspective: What should international actors do to promote and foster democratic development? Finally, the concluding chapter advances a new, post-Bush, strategy for ""supporting democracy"" around the world. This responds both to the challenge of democratic reversals taking place in the world, and recognizes the need for a more modest and humble approach in an era that follows the imperial over-reach and unilateralism of the George W. Bush era."

Full Product Details

Author:   Larry Diamond (Stanford University, USA)
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.680kg
ISBN:  

9780415781282


ISBN 10:   0415781280
Pages:   470
Publication Date:   16 July 2015
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: In Search of Democracy Part I. The Dynamics and Foundations of Democracy 2. The Quality of Democracy (with Leonardo Morlino) 3. Measuring Democracy (with Emily Green and William Gallery) 4. Is Democracy in Decline? 5. Why Democracies Survive 6. Civil Society and Democratic Consolidation 7. Liberation Technology 8. Hybrid Regimes 9. Why Are There No Arab Democracies? Part II. In Search of Democracy in Africa 10. Class Formation in the Swollen African State 11. Class, Ethnicity and the Democratic State: Nigeria, 1950-66 12. Issues in the Constitutional Design of a Third Nigerian Republic 13. Progress and Retreat in Africa: The Rule of Law versus the Big Man 14. Promoting Real Reform in Africa 15. Petroleum To the People (with Jack Mosbacher) Part III: In Search of Democracy in Asia 16. The Coming Wave of East Asian Democracy 17. Why China’s Democratic Transition Will Differ From Taiwan’s 18. Hong Kong’s Democratic Prospects 19. Indonesia’s Place in Global Democracy 20. Burma’s Political Opening Part IV: Promoting Democracy: Policy Implications 21. Empowering the Poor: What Does Democracy Have to Do with It? 22. Promoting Democracy in Post-Conflict and Failed States 23. Promoting Democracy: Enduring Tensions and New Opportunities

Reviews

Presenting decades of accumulated insight, wisdom, and constructive provocation, this volume is not only an irreplaceable account of the global state of democracy but also a remarkable testament to the power and value of one original, rigorous mind taking on an entire field of study across a defining generation of landmark events and trends. Thomas Carothers, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The book - In Search of Democracy - brings together some of the seminal writings of Larry Diamond that have made him a pre-eminent figure among scholars of democracy and comparative democratic development. The essays in this twenty-three chapter volume are typically comprehensive and brim with insights, thanks in no small measure to the equal emphasis Diamond places on the factors of structure, culture, state, society, politics, and political economy, backed by sound empirical data and appropriate illustrations. The unique combination of hard-headed analysis, passionately delivered in accessible prose, should make the collection indispensable to all students and policy actors in the field of comparative democratization and accountable governance. E. Gyimah-Boadi, Executive Director of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development and the Afrobarometer; and retired professor of political science at the University of Ghana, Legon. Larry Diamond is the foremost scholar in fostering and guiding the burgeoning field of democratization over the past three decades. This collection includes the bulk of his most illuminating works of agenda-setting significance. This book cannot be ignored by anybody wanting a full grasp of all the most important intellectual debates over problems and opportunities of emerging democracies, especially during the critical phase of democratic consolidation, and the complex strategic issues as well as difficult policy choices surrounding democracy promotion. Yun-han Chu, Distinguished Research Fellow of the Institute of Political Science, Academia Sinica


Author Information

Larry Diamond is senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute, where he directs the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. He is founding co-editor of the Journal of Democracy and author of The Spirit of Democracy.

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