How Democracies Live: Power, Statecraft, and Freedom in Modern Societies

This book is about how democracy is being defended in the face of challenges such as polarization, misrule, and dictatorships. It argues that democracy must be rooted in a culture that supports the ability of citizens to exchange views and information and that power is the fuel of government. It offers a new definition of democracy and suggests how countries can improve upon it and make it function more effectively.

Format: Hardback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 06 May 2022
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

Democracy has faced numerous challenges in the modern era. After the triumph of democracy at the end of the Cold War, there was a period of retrenchment, with core democracies in America and Britain experiencing polarization and misrule. Dictatorships, such as China, also emerged as assertive forces. In Central Europe, new democracies adopted muddled ideologies of illiberal democracy.

In this book, Stein Ringen offers a comprehensive meditation on what democracy is, the challenges it faces, and how it can be defended. Ringen argues that democracy must be rooted in a culture that supports the ability of citizens to exchange views and information among themselves and with their rulers. He draws on the ideas of various thinkers, including Machiavelli, Aristotle, Tocqueville, Max Weber, and others, to demonstrate how power is the fuel of government and how statecraft turns power into effective rule.

Democracy should prioritize freedom and minimize unfairness, particularly poverty. Ringen offers a new definition of democracy and provides insights on how countries can improve upon it and make it function more effectively. How Democracies Live is a timely and thought-provoking book that serves as a sober reminder of the majesty of the democratic enterprise.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226818870