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Democratic Theory and Local Government (Routledge Revivals)
by Dilys M. HillOriginally published in 1974, this book filled a gap in its examination and evaluation of the way in which English local government forms a part of democratic society. Modern society is complex and although local government brings many benefits to ordinary people, it also circumscribes what they may do, particularly with regard to planning, education, housing, conservation and the environment. Local government is judged by its ability to raise the necessary finance, set its priorities and successfully provide services for local people. It is also judged by those democratic criteria of justice, impartiality, fairness and openness that are a mark of democratic society in all its aspects. This book examines these issues in the light of the reformed local government of the late 20th Century and traces the roots of the present system into the ideals and achievements of the great Victorian reformers.
Democratic Work: Radical Democracy and the Future of Labour (Marx, Engels, and Marxisms)
by Alexis CukierThis book proposes a radical transformation of labour institutions, in order to lay the foundation for the democratization of society rather than capitalist accumulation. Using an empirical analysis of the contemporary world of work, Alexis Cukier examines the democratic meaning of today’s critique of work organization and questions the theoretical models (linked to class struggles and to industrial democracy) to conceive of a "democratic work." Considering particular historical experiments (such as cooperatives, self-management, worker’s councils) that try to realize democracy at work, this book also analyzes the political issue of "democratic work" in relation to issues such as labour law, feminist struggles and political ecology. Ultimately, this book proposes some institutional paths that could overtake the divide between the rights of the citizens and the rights of the workers, arguing finally: if we really want to radicalize democracy, we should begin with democratizing work.
Democratic by Design: How Carsharing, Co-ops, and Community Land Trusts are Reinventing America
by Gabriel MetcalfAmericans have, since our founding, participated in a variety of alternative institutions--self-organized projects that work outside the traditional structures of government and business to change society. From the town meetings that still serve as our ideal of self-governance, to the sustainable food movement that is changing the way we think about farming the land and feeding our families, these secondary structures have given rise to many of our most exciting and important innovations. Yet most people still know little about them, even as their numbers and their influence increase. In today's climate of widespread economic inequity, political gridlock and daunting environmental challenges, we sorely need a fresh approach to social and political change. In Democratic by Design, Gabriel Metcalf sketches out a strategy that starts with small-scale, living examples of a better society that can ultimately scale up to widespread social transformation. Using examples like car-sharing organizations, community land trusts, credit unions, workers co-ops, citizen juries, community-supported agriculture farms, mission-driven corporations, and others, Democratic by Design shows how alternative institutions can be the crucial spark for a broad new progressive movement.
Democratization Without Representation: The Politics of Small Industry in Mexico (G - Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects)
by Kenneth C. ShadlenWhen countries become more democratic, new opportunities arise for individuals and groups to participate in politics and influence the making of policy. But democratization does not ensure better representation for everyone, and indeed some sectors of society are ill-equipped to take advantage of these new opportunities. Small industry in Mexico, Kenneth Shadlen shows, is an excellent example of a sector whose representation decreased during democratization. Shadlen’s analysis focuses on the basic characteristics of small firms that complicate the process of securing representation in both authoritarian and democratic environments. He then shows how increased pluralism and electoral competition served to exacerbate the political problems facing the sector during the course of democratization in Mexico. These characteristics created problems for small firms both in acting collectively through interest associations and civil society organizations and in wielding power within political parties. The changes that democratization effected in the structure of corporatism put small industry at a significant disadvantage in the policy-making arena even while there was general agreement on the crucial importance of this sector in the new neoliberal economy, especially for generating employment. The final chapter extends the analysis by making comparisons with the experience of small industry representation in Argentina and Brazil.Shadlen uses extensive interviews and archival research to provide new evidence and insights on the difficult challenges of interest aggregation and representation for small industry. He conducted interviews with a wide range of owners and managers of small firms, state and party officials, and leaders of business associations and civil society organizations. He also did research at the National Archives in Mexico City and in the archives of the most important business organizations for small industry in the post-World War II period.
Democratization and Market Reform in Developing and Transitional Countries: Think Tanks as Catalysts (Routledge Research in Comparative Politics)
by James G. McgannThis book explores the pivotal role of think tanks in the democratization and economic reform movements by evaluating their overall effect on the transformation process in developing and transitional countries around the world. James G. McGann assesses twenty-three think tanks, located in nine countries and four regions of the world: Chile, Peru, Poland, Slovakia, South Africa, Botswana, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, that have most impacted political and economic transitions in their respective countries. The author examines the role they played in the process of democratization and market reform during the late 80s and 90s and identifies the importance of think tanks in these processes by evaluating their overall effect on the policymaking process. He argues in the early stages of a transition from an authoritarian regime to an open and democratic society the activities of think tanks are especially critical, and they have provided a civil society safety net to support these fragile democracies. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of political science, democratization, development, economic development and civil society.
Democratization and Memories of Violence: Ethnic minority rights movements in Mexico, Turkey, and El Salvador (ISSN)
by Mneesha GellmanEthnic minority communities make claims for cultural rights from states in different ways depending on how governments include them in policies and practices of accommodation or assimilation. However, institutional explanations don’t tell the whole story, as individuals and communities also protest, using emotionally compelling narratives about past wrongs to justify their claims for new rights protections. Democratization and Memories of Violence: Ethnic minority rights movements in Mexico, Turkey, and El Salvador examines how ethnic minority communities use memories of state and paramilitary violence to shame states into cooperating with minority cultural agendas such as the right to mother tongue education. Shaming and claiming is a social movement tactic that binds historic violence to contemporary citizenship. Combining theory with empirics, the book accounts for how democratization shapes citizen experiences of interest representation and how memorialization processes challenge state regimes of forgetting at local, state, and international levels. Democratization and Memories of Violence draws on six case studies in Mexico, Turkey, and El Salvador to show how memory-based narratives serve as emotionally salient leverage for marginalized communities to facilitate state consideration of minority rights agendas.This book will be of interest to postgraduates and researchers in comparative politics, development studies, sociology, international studies, peace and conflict studies and area studies.
Democratization and Memories of Violence: Ethnic minority rights movements in Mexico, Turkey, and El Salvador (Routledge Global Cooperation Series)
by Mneesha GellmanEthnic minority communities make claims for cultural rights from states in different ways depending on how governments include them in policies and practices of accommodation or assimilation. However, institutional explanations don’t tell the whole story, as individuals and communities also protest, using emotionally compelling narratives about past wrongs to justify their claims for new rights protections. Democratization and Memories of Violence: Ethnic minority rights movements in Mexico, Turkey, and El Salvador examines how ethnic minority communities use memories of state and paramilitary violence to shame states into cooperating with minority cultural agendas such as the right to mother tongue education. Shaming and claiming is a social movement tactic that binds historic violence to contemporary citizenship. Combining theory with empirics, the book accounts for how democratization shapes citizen experiences of interest representation and how memorialization processes challenge state regimes of forgetting at local, state, and international levels. Democratization and Memories of Violence draws on six case studies in Mexico, Turkey, and El Salvador to show how memory-based narratives serve as emotionally salient leverage for marginalized communities to facilitate state consideration of minority rights agendas. This book will be of interest to postgraduates and researchers in comparative politics, development studies, sociology, international studies, peace and conflict studies and area studies.
Democratization and the State: Competence, Control, and Performance in Indonesia's Civil Service (Elements in Political Economy)
by Jan Henryk PierskallaDoes democratization lead to more meritocracy in the civil service? The Element argues that electoral accountability increases the value of competence over personal loyalty in the civil service. While this resembles an application of merit principles, it does not automatically reduce patronage politics or improve public goods provision. Competent civil servants are often used to facilitate the distribution of clientelistic goods at mass scale to win competitive elections. The selection of competent but less loyal civil servants requires the increased use of control mechanisms, like the timing of promotions, to ensure their compliance. The Element tests these claims using novel micro-level data on promotions in Indonesia's civil service before and after democratization in 1999. The Element shows that national- and local-level elections led to increased promotion premiums for educated civil servants, and simultaneously generated electoral cycles in the timing of promotions, but did little to improve public goods provision.
Democratizing Development: Struggles for Rights and Social Justice in India
by Ranjita MohantySince its inception, the Indian model of development has the twin objectives of economic development and social justice woven together. This has shaped both policy and popular aspiration in post-Independence India. In this context, Democratizing Development: Struggles for Rights and Social Justice in India explores and analyses how development gets vitiated by multiple powers and subverts the democratic ideals of participation, equality, inclusion, redistribution and equity, and how the poor and socially marginalized struggle to make development democratic. Examining development through the lens of the most marginalized, the book shows the democratic potential of development as well as the result of its absence. The book contains empirically drawn cases and supplements these with theoretical and analytical arguments. It contributes to contemporary debates in social science such as democracy, social justice, civil society, social mobilization, social inclusion, redistribution and participatory governance.
Democratizing Finance
by Fred Block Robert HockettWhat if our financial system were organized to the benefit of the many rather than simply empowering the few?Robert Hockett and Fred Block argue that an entirely different financial system is both desirable and possible. They outline concrete steps that could get us there. Financial systems move the worlds savings from investment to investment, chasing the highest rates of return. They run on profit. But what if investment went to the enterprises or institutions that provided things that the majority of people would prioritize?Democratizing Finance includes six responses that seek to amend, elaborate, and challenge the arguments developed by Hockett and Block. Some of the core arguments put forward by other contributors include calls for the rapid elimination of private financial entities, the dilemmas of the politics associated with financial reforms, and the fate of parallel proposals advanced in the US in the 1930s.
Democratizing Finance: The Radical Promise of Fintech
by Marion Laboure Nicolas DeffrennesWe are only in the early stages of a broader revolution that will impact every aspect of the global economy, including commerce and government services. Coming financial technology innovations could improve the quality of life for all people. Over the past few decades, digital technology has transformed finance. Financial technology (fintech) has enabled more people with fewer resources, in more places around the world, to take advantage of banking, insurance, credit, investment, and other financial services. Marion Laboure and Nicolas Deffrennes argue that these changes are only the tip of the iceberg. A much broader revolution is under way that, if steered correctly, will lead to huge and beneficial social change. The authors describe the genesis of recent financial innovations and how they have helped consumers in rich and poor countries alike by reducing costs, increasing accessibility, and improving convenience and efficiency. They connect the dots between early innovations in financial services and the wider revolution unfolding today. Changes may disrupt traditional financial services, especially banking, but they may also help us address major social challenges: opening new career paths for millennials, transforming government services, and expanding the gig economy in developed markets. Fintech could lead to economic infrastructure developments in rural areas and could facilitate emerging social security and healthcare systems in developing countries. The authors make this case with a rich combination of economic theory and case studies, including microanalyses of the effects of fintech innovations on individuals, as well as macroeconomic perspectives on fintech’s impact on societies. While celebrating fintech’s achievements to date, Laboure and Deffrennes also make recommendations for overcoming the obstacles that remain. The stakes—improved quality of life for all people—could not be higher.
Democratizing Innovation
by Eric Von HippelInnovation is rapidly becoming democratized. Users, aided by improvements in computer and communications technology, increasingly can develop their own new products and services. These innovating users -- both individuals and firms -- often freely share their innovations with others, creating user-innovation communities and a rich intellectual commons. In Democratizing Innovation, Eric von Hippel looks closely at this emerging system of user-centered innovation. He explains why and when users find it profitable to develop new products and services for themselves, and why it often pays users to reveal their innovations freely for the use of all.The trend toward democratized innovation can be seen in software and information products -- most notably in the free and open-source software movement -- but also in physical products. Von Hippel's many examples of user innovation in action range from surgical equipment to surfboards to software security features. He shows that product and service development is concentrated among "lead users," who are ahead on marketplace trends and whose innovations are often commercially attractive.Von Hippel argues that manufacturers should redesign their innovation processes and that they should systematically seek out innovations developed by users. He points to businesses -- the custom semiconductor industry is one example -- that have learned to assist user-innovators by providing them with toolkits for developing new products. User innovation has a positive impact on social welfare, and von Hippel proposes that government policies, including R&D subsidies and tax credits, should be realigned to eliminate biases against it. The goal of a democratized user-centered innovation system, says von Hippel, is well worth striving for. An electronic version of this book is available under a Creative Commons license.
Democratizing Money?: Debating Legitimacy In Monetary Reform Proposals
by Beat WeberA lack of confidence in monetary institutions after the recent financial crash has led to a resurgence of public debate on the topic of monetary reform, reaching a level of political prominence unprecedented since the period after the Great Depression. <P><P>Whether privatizing money with Bitcoin, regionalizing it with regional currencies, or turning it into a state monopoly with either sovereign money or 'Modern Monetary Theory, the only economic utopians able to draw public attention in our post-crash world seem to be monetary reformers. Weber provides the first proper economic analysis of these modern monetary reform proposals, exposing their flaws and fallacies through critical examination.<P> From academics studying the political economy of finance to economic sociologists studying financial institutions, this book will appeal to scholars and students interested in monetary reform proposals and the viability of alternative currency systems, and more broadly, readers seeking a contemporary understanding of what money is and how it works today. <P> Provides an introductory explanation of how the monetary system works - how money is created, circulated and administered - whilst also highlighting concerns about potential issues in the system.<P> Gives the reader a better understanding of the post-crash financial landscape, and an academic grasp of the new concepts driving the headlines.<P> Offers a presentation, comparison, and critique of each of the major contemporary monetary reform proposals, rather than a weighted focus on one particular concept.<P>
Democratizing Public Management: Towards Practice-Based Theory
by Marta Struminska-KutraThis book argues that contemporary society in general, and public administration specifically, can benefit from more reflexive learning processes through democracy and public involvement. It identifies the most central social practices, dilemmas, and challenges for public management as well as the mechanisms needed to enact institutional change. Offering a model of reflexivity and learning in the face of public dispute, it explores phenomena such as problem solving, democratization, public learning, and uncertainty to address certain tensions in governance theory and practice.Through a range of well-sourced case studies, this book demonstrates how institutions can manage difficult situations by not only resolving the conflict but addressing the underlying problem. It uses both theoretical and practical approaches to observe the micro foundations of political behavior and its institutional underpinnings, and will be a valuable resource for public administration researchers, practitioners, and graduate students seeking empirical studies of learning processes in the public sphere.
Democratizing Technology: Leading Sustainable and Scalable Change
by John Elkington Pamela HartiganIn this chapter, the authors study four clusters of entrepreneurs whose technological ventures will improve the future for a growing proportion of the burgeoning human population.
Democratizing Technology: Risk, Responsibility and the Regulation of Chemicals (The Earthscan Science in Society Series)
by Anne ChapmanDemocratizing Technology provides a much-needed fresh perspective on the regulation of chemicals, and an important contribution to green thinking about technology.Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP. This book is an excellent critique of the current risk-based approach to technology. By exploring the philosophical underpinnings and the practical applications of current policy on science and technology, Chapman exposes the serious flaws in allowing economic considerations to dominate the agenda in this area. Her proposals for reform are expertly constructed and deserve urgent and serious consideration by policy-makers.Dr Stuart Parkinson, Executive Director, Scientists for Global Responsibility. In this important book Anne Chapman argues that decisions about technology should answer a republican question: what kind of public world should we create through technology? Democratizing Technology deserves to be read widely. John ONeill, Professor of Political Economy, University of Manchester, UK A welcome addition to the new, more empirical and applied literature in philosophy of technology. This book will be essential reading for a variety of scholars and for the general reader intent on understanding, and criticizing, our chemically made world.Andrew Light, Interim Director, Program on the Environment, University of Washington, US What is technology? How do humans use it to build and modify the world? What are the relationships between technology, science, economics and democratic governance? What, if any, are our ethical and political responsibilities and choices in how we develop, deploy and control technology in democratic states? Democratizing Technology sets out to answer these questions. Focusing on the most widespread and pervasive technology - chemicals - this groundbreaking volume peels apart the critical technology debate to look at the relationship between humans, technology and the biological world. Attention is given to the immensely important new regulations, REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of Chemicals), the EUs largest ever legal framework, discussing the problems that are likely to occur in REACHs reliance on risk assessment methods and suggesting an alternative way forward for the regulation of chemicals. Providing much-needed clarity and insight into the heart of key debates in science and technology, risk analysis and mitigation, and domestic and international law, this volume arrives as a breath of fresh air.
Democratizing the Corporation: The Bicameral Firm and Beyond
by Joel Rogers Isabelle Ferreras Tom MallesonWorker representation is the first step toward democratizing the economyAlthough contemporary Western societies refer to themselves as &“democratic,&” the bulk of the population spend much of their lives in workplaces that have more in common with tyranny. Gigantic corporations such as Amazon, Meta, Exxon, and Walmart are among the richest and most powerful institutions in the world yet accountable to no one but their shareholders. The undemocratic nature of conventional firms generates profound problems across society, hurting more than just the workplace and contributing to environmental destruction and spiraling inequality.Against this backdrop, Isabelle Ferreras proposes a radical but realistic plan to democratize the private firm. She suggests that all large firms should be bicamerally governed, with a chamber of worker representatives sharing equal governance power with the standard board representing owners. In response to this proposal, twelve leading experts on corporate behavior from multiple disciplines consider its attractiveness, viability, and achievability as a &“real utopian&” proposal to strengthen democracy in our time.
Democratizing the Economics Debate: Pluralism and Research Evaluation (Young Feltrinelli Prize in the Moral Sciences)
by Carlo D'IppolitiMore than a decade since the global financial crisis, economics does not exhibit signs of significant change. Mainstream economists act on an idealized image of science, which includes the convergence of all perspectives into a single supposed scientific truth. Democratizing the Economics Debate shows that this idealized image both provides an inadequate description of what science should be and misrepresents the recent past and current state of economics. Economics has always been characterized by a plurality of competing perspectives and research paradigms, however, there is evidence of a worrying global involution in the last 40 years. Even as the production of economics publications has exploded, the economics debate is becoming less plural and increasingly hierarchical. Among several causes, the tendency to conformism has been exacerbated in recent years with the use of formal schemes of research quality evaluation. This book documents how such schemes now cover more than half of all economists worldwide and reviews the impact of biased methods of research evaluation on the stunting of levels of pluralism in economics. The book will be of interest to anyone who worries for the state of the democratic debate. As experts who intervene in the public debate, economists must assure society that they are working in the best possible way, which includes fostering a wide and fair scientific debate. It is this test of social legitimacy that economics currently fails.
Demografie, Wohnen, Immobilien (Demografie und Wirtschaft)
by Hendrik BudligerDie alternde Gesellschaft und die sich verschiebende Altersstruktur haben mannigfaltige Auswirkungen auf die Entwicklung von Wohnformen und die Nachfrage nach Wohnraum. Die sich daraus ergebenden demografischen Risiken sind auch für Immobilieninvestoren relevant. In 10 Buchbeiträgen wird der Einfluss der Demografie auf das Wohnen und den Immobilienmarkt in verschiedenen Regionen der Welt aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven beleuchtet und diskutiert. Durch eine steigende Lebenserwartung, eine stagnierende Zuwanderung und eine geringere Fertilität hat sich die Altersstruktur weltweit verändert und wird sich weiter verändern. Während sich der ganze Markt nur langsam bewegt, gibt es regional sehr ungleiche Entwicklungen. Es sind weiter größere Veränderungen zwischen den Gemeinden aufgrund der Altersstruktur und der Wanderungssalden zu erwarten, was sich auch anhand der Miet- und Immobilienpreise zeigen wird. Beispiele aus München und Ostdeutschland veranschaulichen diese Entwicklung und ein Exkurs nach Japan zeichnet unsere mögliche Zukunft vor.
Demografischer Wandel und Wirtschaft (Demografie und Wirtschaft)
by Hendrik BudligerDemografie und demografischer Wandel betreffen uns alle. Dennoch ist das Thema viel zu wenig in unseren Köpfen und in der Öffentlichkeit präsent. Dieses Buch befasst sich mit den Auswirkungen des demografischen Wandels auf die Wirtschaft, wobei dies differenziert aus mehreren Perspektiven betrachtet wird. In verständlicher Sprache bieten die Autorinnen und Autoren aus Wissenschaft und Praxis fokussierte Einblicke in ihre Arbeit, um Erkenntnisse und Zusammenhänge zwischen der Demografie und der Wirtschaft zu diskutieren und um ihre jeweiligen Blickwinkel und Kompetenzen zu vermitteln. Es werden sowohl Problemfelder aufgezeigt, die erst im Entstehen sind, als auch Lösungsansätze für bereits bestehende Zusammenhänge vorgeschlagen. Neben verschiedenen Ursachen demografischen Wandels werden Auswirkungen der demografischen Entwicklung auf Nachfrage, Arbeitsmarkt, Rentenversicherung, Staatsfinanzen und den Klimawandel analysiert sowie die Covid-19-Pandemie und deren Auswirkung auf demografische Faktoren diskutiert. Dies ist der erste Band der Reihe Demografie und Wirtschaft.
Demographic Change and Economic Growth: Simulations on Growth Models
by Lars WeberIn this book the author investigates the impact of demographic change on economic growth. As a result of the current financial crisis, a new view on economics has been demanded by various scientists. The author provides such a new view on economic growth, using a methodology of system dynamics. By applying this method, the author focuses on characteristics of complex systems and analyzes aging and shrinking processes, and not only positive growth. Delays and feedback processes are also considered. This leads to deeper and revealing insights into economic behavior. In doing so, a new semi-endogenous growth model is developed by introducing a specific and detailed population sector (demographic growth model). The book shows and analyzes the behavior of such a model and tests several policy scenarios in a transfer chapter to apply the new theoretical approach on real world problems. The major results are summarized in 15 principles of demographic growth.
Demographic Changes for the Future of Work in Japan
by Naoko Jinjo Joseph B. Fuller Koji EverardIndustry and Background Note
Demographic Gaps in American Political Behavior
by Patrick FisherDemographic Gaps in American Political Behavior examines the political behavior of various groups in the United States in an effort to demonstrate how demographic backgrounds and socialization affect political behavior. Media coverage has disproportionately focused on the red state versus blue state divide, leaving the impression that American political behavior is determined solely by place of residence. This, however, ignores the numerous other political divides that exist in the United States today. In order to better conceptualize the landscape of American political behavior, Patrick Fisher analyzes the political gaps in six different demographics--income, religion, gender, race, age, and geography--and examines the effect these political gaps have on public opinion, policy, and party positioning. Written in an accessible fashion, Demographic Gaps in American Political Behavior uses contemporary examples and data from the 2008 and 2012 elections to help readers understand how and why demographic background has the potential to greatly influence political opinions and behavior.
Demographic Perspective of China’s Economic Development (China Perspectives)
by Fang CaiChina is historically famous for its high demographic dividend and its huge working population, and this has driven tremendous economic growth over the past few decades. However, that population has begun to shrink and the Lewis turning point whereby surplus rural population has been absorbed into manufacturing is also approaching, leading to great change in the Chinese labor market. Will this negatively affect China’s economic growth? Can the "Middle-Income Trap" be avoided? What reforms should be made on the labor supply side? This book tackles these key questions. This book is a collection of 14 papers presenting the author’s observations, analysis, and opinions of China’s long-term economic development from the demographic perspective, while analysing real economic problems from the past and including policy recommendations. It provides a critical reference for scholars and students interested in Chinese economic development and demographic perspectives on economic development.
Demographic Shifts and Digital Innovation in the Public Sector (SpringerBriefs in Entrepreneurship and Innovation)
by Mehmet Akif Demircioglu Manuel Di Loreto Kohei SuzukiThis book examines the impact of demographic decline on digital innovation in the public sector. Utilizing data from Italian municipalities, it provides quantitative and qualitative analyses to reveal the negative impact of demographic decline on digital innovation, which presents a unique challenge for policymakers seeking to foster technological advances in a shrinking, ageing society. This book also investigates the roles of macro-level social, economic, demographic, and administrative factors in the innovation of public organizations. By highlighting these broader demographic dynamics, this book challenges existing theories of public sector innovation, urging greater attention to slow-moving external factors as critical drivers of long-term innovation strategies.