Democratic Legitimacy

Impartiality, Reflexivity, Proximity

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government, Democracy, Politics, History & Theory
Cover of the book Democratic Legitimacy by Pierre Rosanvallon, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Pierre Rosanvallon ISBN: 9781400838745
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: July 5, 2011
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Pierre Rosanvallon
ISBN: 9781400838745
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: July 5, 2011
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

It'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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

It'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.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book Hamas and Civil Society in Gaza by Pierre Rosanvallon
Cover of the book Democracy and the Foreigner by Pierre Rosanvallon
Cover of the book Group Problem Solving by Pierre Rosanvallon
Cover of the book Nietzsche's Jewish Problem by Pierre Rosanvallon
Cover of the book Competition Policy and Price Fixing by Pierre Rosanvallon
Cover of the book Economics in Perspective by Pierre Rosanvallon
Cover of the book Strong Borders, Secure Nation by Pierre Rosanvallon
Cover of the book The Origins of the Urban Crisis by Pierre Rosanvallon
Cover of the book America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity by Pierre Rosanvallon
Cover of the book Franz Liszt and His World by Pierre Rosanvallon
Cover of the book The One vs. the Many by Pierre Rosanvallon
Cover of the book Nart Sagas by Pierre Rosanvallon
Cover of the book Rational Decisions by Pierre Rosanvallon
Cover of the book Our Cosmic Habitat by Pierre Rosanvallon
Cover of the book Philosophy as a Humanistic Discipline by Pierre Rosanvallon
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy