Bøker av Matt Qvortrup

In this new edition of Matt Qvortrup's acclaimed book, the author shows how neuroscience can help us understand why people willingly give up their democratic rights or are unwillingly forced to do so.According to Plato, democracies die when people get angry. Resentment causes them to vote for demagogues. Recently, democratically elected politicians have used crises as a pretext for dismantling democracy, following a pattern we have seen since the dawn of civilization. Why do people fall for the lure of dictatorships? And what can we learn from the cause and effects of dictatorships to understand why democracies die?Death by a Thousand Cuts: Neuropolitics, Thymos, and the Slow Demise of Democracy is written in an accessible style with vignettes and new empirical data to provide historical context and neurological evidence on a much-discussed topic: the threat of democracy. This book will help readers who are concerned about the longevity of democracy understand when and why democracy is in danger of collapsing and alert them to the warning signs of its demise.

Democracy is on the run, and elected governments are suffering from a legitimacy crisis. Legislatures are increasingly seen as unrepresentative. To give legitimacy to democratic government, experts argue that we need more democracy and more opportunities for direct citizen participation. Representative democracy needs to be complemented by forms of direct engagement, such as referendums, popular votes, the recall, citizens' juries, eDemocracy, etc. This is what we term Complementary Democracy. In this book experts from the worlds of practice and theory come together to explain - and occasionally critique - these complements to representative democracy. The volume provides an invaluable starting point for anyone who wants to know more about the new directions of democratic governance, and hopes to inspire those who seek to build stronger democracies.

Written in a conversational form, this book provides an accessible and entertaining primer to those aspiring to make a new state.

The aim of this short book is to understand which countries do well on key indicators and why. Where in the world is the best place to live and why?

Democracy on demand is a most comprehensive analysis of the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of referendums and the challenges to modern democracy. It shows how democracy is vulnerable, and how it can be saved from demagogues. -- .

A perfect primer for anyone interested in the politics of referendums. -- .

This exciting new text presents the first overview of JeanJacques Rousseau's work from a political science perspective. Was Rousseau--thegreat theorist of the French Revolution--really a conservative? -- .

Surveying all referendums around the world since 1793, Dr Qvortrup and contributors provide a thorough account of why and when citizens have been asked to vote on policy issues. Referendums Around the World is essential reading for political scientists and others interested in direct democracy as well as representative government.

Combining the latest scholarship and academic research with current debates, Direct Democracy is essential reading for political scientists, lawyers, journalists and anybody who is interested in the challenges facing democracies today. Direct Democracy shows when government by the people can improve democratic governance. -- .

Is democracy in crisis? Not according to this book! In this fascinating study, Professor Qvortrup shows that citizens are engaged in politics like never before by voting in referendums and participating in demonstrations and other forms of 'low politics'.