Ebook: Rethinking Democracy

"For years, intellectuals have argued that, with the triumph of capitalist, liberal democracy, the Western World has reached "the end of history." Recently, however, there has been a rise of authoritarian politics in many countries. Concepts of post-democracy, anti-politics, and the like are gaining currency in theoretical and political debate. Now that capitalist democracies are facing seismic and systemic challenges, it becomes increasingly important to investigate not only the inherent antagonism between liberalism and the democratic process, but also socialism. Is socialism an enemy of democracy? Could socialism develop, expand, even enhance democracy?While this volume seeks a reappraisal of existing liberal democracy today, its main goal is to help lay the foundation for new visions and practices in developing a real socialist democracy. Amid the contradictions of neoliberal capitalism today, the responsibility to sort out the relationship between socialism and democracy has never been greater. No revival of socialist politics in the twenty-first century can occur without founding new democratic institutions and practices."--Publisher's description.;Preface / Leo Panitch and Gregory Albo -- The struggle over actually existing democracy / Dennis Pilon -- Women: linking lives with democracy / Sheila Rowbotham -- From Hayek to Trump: the logic of neoliberal democracy / Martijn Konings -- In fear of populism: referendums and neoliberal democracy / James Foley and Pete Ramand -- Organized for democracy? Left challenges inside the democratic party / Adam Hilton -- Fake democracy, bad news / Natalie Fenton and Des Freedman -- Democracy and public broadcasting / Tom Mills -- Digital democracy? / Nina Power -- Barcelona en comú: urban democracy and 'the common good' / Greig Charnock -- Cooperative democracy or cooperative competitiveness: rethinking mondragon / Sharryn Kasmir -- New agrarian democracies: the pink tide's lost opportunity / Leandro Vergara-Camus and Cristobal Kay -- Practising democratic communism: the Kerala experience / Michelle Williams -- From democracy to socialism: then and now / Paul Raekstad -- Challenging the common sense of neoliberalism: Gramsci, Macpherson, and the next left / Ian Mckay -- Radical democracy and socialism / Alex Demirović.