About the Book

How democratic is democracy? We take the pulse of today’s body politic and find the patient in an enfeebled state. This book explores how democracy is constricted and deformed by economic power-brokers and a self-serving political class, from Birmingham to Bangalore. A sterile consensus of technocrats, neo-liberals and spin-doctors worldwide has usurped the hopes for a democratic future. The book is also a guide to the rich diversity of forms of elected government and contains some practical ideas for empowering today’s voters around the world.

Chapters include: The Democratic Malaise; Democracy in the South; Eco-democracy; Democratizing the Economy.

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Contents

1. What is democracy?

2. Democratic malaise

3. Weak and strong democracy

4. Democratizing the economy

5. Beyond the nation-state

6. Democratizing democracy

7. Democracy and ecology

8. Strong democracy in the South

9. Conclusion

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About the Author / Editor

Richard Swift is a co-editor of the New Internationalist magazine, and is based in Toronto. He has worked in radio journalism and alternative publishing for many years and has a long-term interest in questions of ecology and democracy.

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