Responsible Parties: Saving Democracy from Itself

Description

How popular democracy has paradoxically eroded trust in political systems worldwide, and how to restore confidence in democratic politics Democracies across the world are adopting reforms to bring politics closer to the people. Parties have turned to primaries and local caucuses to select candidates. Ballot initiatives and referenda allow citizens to enact laws directly. Many democracies now use proportional representation, encouraging smaller, more specific parties rather than two dominant ones. Yet voters keep getting angrier. There is a steady erosion of trust in politicians, parties, and democratic institutions, culminating most recently in major populist victories in the United States, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere. Frances Rosenbluth and Ian Shapiro argue that devolving power to the grass roots is part of the problem, not the solution. Efforts to decentralize political decision‑making make governments and especially political parties less effective and less able to address constituents’ long‑term interests. To revive confidence in governance, we must restructure our political systems to restore power to the core institution of representative democracy: the political party. Cover......Page 1 Half Title......Page 2 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 ONE. Misdiagnosing Democracy’s Ills......Page 12 TWO. The Means and Ends of Democratic Competition......Page 37 THREE. Vulnerable Minorities......Page 53 FOUR. Big Strong Parties: Westminster......Page 73 FIVE. Big Weak Parties: The American Variant......Page 106 SIX. Strong Parties in Small European Democracies......Page 139 SEVEN. The French Mix......Page 158 EIGHT. Of Labradoodles and Poodledors: Germany......Page 172 NINE. Wannabe Labradoodles: New Zealand, Italy, Japan, and Mexico......Page 189 TEN. Presidentialism with Small Weak Parties: Latin America......Page 210 ELEVEN. Creeping Authoritarianism in Eastern Europe......Page 224 TWELVE. Ways Forward......Page 240 Notes......Page 262 A......Page 322 C......Page 323 D......Page 324 E......Page 325 G......Page 326 J......Page 327 M......Page 328 N......Page 329 P......Page 330 R......Page 331 S......Page 332 U......Page 333 W......Page 334 Z......Page 335