Download or read book Prototype for a Fair and Efficient Democratic Government written by Stefan Wille and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-03-25 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a short and concise form this book describes a generic system for a fair and efficient democratic government. While we present a theoretical bird's eye model in a fictional country, it is of particular relevance to Canada with its current debate about the first-past-the-post electoral system and the usefulness of an appointed Senate. Democratic governments offer the best guarantee against human rights violations but they are not free of shortcomings. Excessive partisan politics, pop and celebrity fixations that may lead to emotional and irrational ballots or the undue influence of financial means to gain political power are just a few examples. The purpose of this book is to suggest safeguards against such weakness. Our prime tenets are (i) administrative efficiency, (ii) a government that is transparent and accountable with sufficient checks and balances, (iii) broad popular participation in the political process, (iv) regional self-determination and (v) the protection of minority rights. While grass-root democracies are often accused of suffering under slowness and indecisiveness we demonstrate how modern internet technology would make it possible to adhere to strict democratic fundamentals and still maintain a high degree of proficiency. We present a concept of a web-based infrastructure and syntax to accommodate voter registration and electronic voting. In democracies, the building blocks of the government are political parties. We examine how parties are being formed, followed by a discussion about the election of members to the parliament. Much space is allocated to the distinction between professional and non-professional parliamentarians. Our next attention is directed to various forms of the legislative assembly. We scrutinize (i) the Parliamentary versus Presidential System of Government, followed by (ii) a study of Unicameral and Bicameral Legislatures and finally (iii) Multiple-Party and Dual-Party Parliaments. We also ask the critical question about the need for an Opposition. Similarly, we discuss the Executive Branch of the Government and how it is being chosen. We try to resolve the conflict between partisanship and pragmatism on the one hand, and the aspiration to govern by technical decision making on the other hand. After a review of the legislative and executive branches of the government, a discussion about the law making-process is in order. The very essence of democracy is the power that is bestowed to the people. We address topics such as: (i) The Right to Know, (ii) Petitions, (iii) Public Consultations, (iv) Referendums and (v) Recalls. An important feature of modern multi-faceted democracies is a federalist structure of the country. We explain how the idea of federalism can also be applied to the configuration of multi-candidate electoral districts. The final chapter is dedicated to minority protection. We define the term of "Visible Minority," followed by a narrative of the privileges that should be granted to them.
Download or read book Prototype Aircraft Development Construction Differential written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce and published by . This book was released on 1952 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Considers legislation to authorize Federal aircraft construction differential subsidies and to establish a program for the development of commercial aircraft adaptable for military service. Includes discussion of jet aircraft developments by Great Britain.
Download or read book Prototype Aircraft Development Construction Differential written by United States. Congress. Senate. Intestate & Foreign Commerce and published by . This book was released on 1952 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Corrupt Cities written by and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2000 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Much of the devastation caused by the recent earthquake in Turkey was the result of widespread corruption between the construction industry and government officials. Corruption is part of everyday public life and we tend to take it for granted. However, preventing corruption helps to raise city revenues, improve service delivery, stimulate public confidence and participation, and win elections. This book is designed to help citizens and public officials diagnose, investigate and prevent various kinds of corrupt and illicit behaviour. It focuses on systematic corruption rather than the free-lance activity of a few law-breakers, and emphasises practical preventive measures rather than purely punitive or moralistic campaigns.
Download or read book Waiting for Democracy written by Jesse Craig Ribot and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: References pp. 115-132.
Download or read book Democratic Ideals and Reality written by Halford John Mackinder and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1962 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Democracy and Africanness written by Hannah Muzee and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-10-31 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the governance and democratization process in Africa, its history, trends, and prospects. Written by a diverse panel of experts, the book provides an intersectional and interdisciplinary analysis of Africa’s democratic environment. Chapters cover topics such as the evolution of democracy in Africa, electoral politics, gender, activism, human rights, and cultural diversity. Critically assessing the fit of democracy for African countries and offering strategies for the Africanization of democracy, this volume will be important for researchers and students interested in African politics, postcolonial theory, democracy, and governance.
Download or read book Electoral Democracy written by Michael MacKuen and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Top scholars in the field survey the study of elections and democracy
Download or read book Prototype Aircraft Development written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce and published by . This book was released on 1950 with total page 1166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Democracy and Prosperity written by Torben Iversen and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-11-03 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is a widespread view that democracy and the advanced nation-state are in crisis, weakened by globalization and undermined by global capitalism, in turn explaining rising inequality and mounting populism. This book, written by two of the world's leading political economists, argues this view is wrong: advanced democracies are resilient, and their enduring historical relationship with capitalism has been mutually beneficial. For all the chaos and upheaval over the past century--major wars, economic crises, massive social change, and technological revolutions--Torben Iversen and David Soskice show how democratic states continuously reinvent their economies through massive public investment in research and education, by imposing competitive product markets and cooperation in the workplace, and by securing macroeconomic discipline as the preconditions for innovation and the promotion of the advanced sectors of the economy. Critically, this investment has generated vast numbers of well-paying jobs for the middle classes and their children, focusing the aims of aspirational families, and in turn providing electoral support for parties. Gains at the top have also been shared with the middle (though not the bottom) through a large welfare state. Contrary to the prevailing wisdom on globalization, advanced capitalism is neither footloose nor unconstrained: it thrives under democracy precisely because it cannot subvert it. Populism, inequality, and poverty are indeed great scourges of our time, but these are failures of democracy and must be solved by democracy.
Download or read book The Third Wave written by Samuel P. Huntington and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2012-09-06 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Between 1974 and 1990 more than thirty countries in southern Europe, Latin America, East Asia, and Eastern Europe shifted from authoritarian to democratic systems of government. This global democratic revolution is probably the most important political trend in the late twentieth century. In The Third Wave, Samuel P. Huntington analyzes the causes and nature of these democratic transitions, evaluates the prospects for stability of the new democracies, and explores the possibility of more countries becoming democratic. The recent transitions, he argues, are the third major wave of democratization in the modem world. Each of the two previous waves was followed by a reverse wave in which some countries shifted back to authoritarian government. Using concrete examples, empirical evidence, and insightful analysis, Huntington provides neither a theory nor a history of the third wave, but an explanation of why and how it occurred. Factors responsible for the democratic trend include the legitimacy dilemmas of authoritarian regimes; economic and social development; the changed role of the Catholic Church; the impact of the United States, the European Community, and the Soviet Union; and the "snowballing" phenomenon: change in one country stimulating change in others. Five key elite groups within and outside the nondemocratic regime played roles in shaping the various ways democratization occurred. Compromise was key to all democratizations, and elections and nonviolent tactics also were central. New democracies must deal with the "torturer problem" and the "praetorian problem" and attempt to develop democratic values and processes. Disillusionment with democracy, Huntington argues, is necessary to consolidating democracy. He concludes the book with an analysis of the political, economic, and cultural factors that will decide whether or not the third wave continues. Several "Guidelines for Democratizers" offer specific, practical suggestions for initiating and carrying out reform. Huntington's emphasis on practical application makes this book a valuable tool for anyone engaged in the democratization process. At this volatile time in history, Huntington's assessment of the processes of democratization is indispensable to understanding the future of democracy in the world.
Download or read book Some Social Requisites of Democracy written by Seymour Martin Lipset and published by . This book was released on 1959 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Empowered Participation written by Archon Fung and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2009-01-10 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every month in every neighborhood in Chicago, residents, teachers, school principals, and police officers gather to deliberate about how to improve their schools and make their streets safer. Residents of poor neighborhoods participate as much or more as those from wealthy ones. All voices are heard. Since the meetings began more than a dozen years ago, they have led not only to safer streets but also to surprising improvements in the city's schools. Chicago's police department and school system have become democratic urban institutions unlike any others in America. Empowered Participation is the compelling chronicle of this unprecedented transformation. It is the first comprehensive empirical analysis of the ways in which participatory democracy can be used to effect social change. Using city-wide data and six neighborhood case studies, the book explores how determined Chicago residents, police officers, teachers, and community groups worked to banish crime and transform a failing city school system into a model for educational reform. The author's conclusion: Properly designed and implemented institutions of participatory democratic governance can spark citizen involvement that in turn generates innovative problem-solving and public action. Their participation makes organizations more fair and effective. Though the book focuses on Chicago's municipal agencies, its lessons are applicable to many American cities. Its findings will prove useful not only in the fields of education and law enforcement, but also to sectors as diverse as environmental regulation, social service provision, and workforce development.
Download or read book Rule of Law Dynamics written by Michael Zurn and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2012-06-18 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume explores the various strategies, mechanisms and processes that influence rule of law dynamics across borders and the national/international divide, illuminating the diverse paths of influence. It shows to what extent, and how, rule of law dynamics have changed in recent years, especially at the transnational and international levels of government. To explore these interactive dynamics, the volume adopts an interdisciplinary approach, bringing together the normative perspective of law with the analytical perspective of social sciences. The volume contributes to several fields, including studies of rule of law, law and development, and good governance; democratization; globalization studies; neo-institutionalism and judicial studies; international law, transnational governance and the emerging literature on judicial reforms in authoritarian regimes; and comparative law (Islamic, African, Asian, Latin American legal systems).
Download or read book Promise and Problems of E Democracy Challenges of Online Citizen Engagement written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2004-01-19 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book highlights policy lessons in using ICTs to provide information, opportunities for consultation and public participation in policy-making. It includes numerous examples of current practice from 12 OECD member countries (Australia, Canada ...
Download or read book Rich Media Poor Democracy written by Robert W. McChesney and published by New Press, The. This book was released on 2016-03-01 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An updated edition of the “penetrating study” examining how the current state of mass media puts our democracy at risk (Noam Chomsky). What happens when a few conglomerates dominate all major aspects of mass media, from newspapers and magazines to radio and broadcast television? After all the hype about the democratizing power of the internet, is this new technology living up to its promise? Since the publication of this prescient work, which won Harvard’s Goldsmith Book Prize and the Kappa Tau Alpha Research Award, the concentration of media power and the resultant “hypercommercialization of media” has only intensified. Robert McChesney lays out his vision for what a truly democratic society might look like, offering compelling suggestions for how the media can be reformed as part of a broader program of democratic renewal. Rich Media, Poor Democracy remains as vital and insightful as ever and continues to serve as an important resource for researchers, students, and anyone who has a stake in the transformation of our digital commons. This new edition includes a major new preface by McChesney, where he offers both a history of the transformation in media since the book first appeared; a sweeping account of the organized efforts to reform the media system; and the ongoing threats to our democracy as journalism has continued its sharp decline. “Those who want to know about the relationship of media and democracy must read this book.” —Neil Postman “If Thomas Paine were around, he would have written this book.” —Bill Moyers
Download or read book Rise of Democracy written by Christopher Hobson and published by Edinburgh University Press. This book was released on 2015-10-07 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores democracy's remarkable rise from obscurity to centre stage in contemporary international relations, from the rogue democratic state of 18th Century France to Western pressures for countries throughout the world to democratise.
