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political theory

March 21, 2023

🦋 'Rationalising democracy': explaining a common logic

Suthan Krishnarajan Why do people committed to democracy explicitly support undemocratic behaviour by their politicians? Suthan Krishnarajan argues that it all comes down to perception. Sometimes, politicians establish policies that attract widespread support, but they do so in an undemocratic fashion. Citizens then 'rationalise democracy' to reassure themselves that politicians are indeed acting in their best interests Read more
March 17, 2023

💊 What student government can teach us about democracy

Justin Patrick As student governments experience decline and collapse in the twenty-first century, their importance in contemporary political life should not be underestimated. They serve as valuable resources for political scientists looking to understand democracy at fundamental levels. Justin Patrick argues that we should take them seriously in research and practice Read more
March 16, 2023

🦋 Let’s tell a more contextual story about Minben

Li-Chia Lo Li-Chia Lo revisits Rongxin Li’s essay on the Confucian concept of Minben (people-core/root) to offer more context to the concept and to differentiate it from the Chinese concept of Minzhu (people-master). Lo argues that both concepts are different, and we should not elide them Read more
March 13, 2023

🦋 The merits of consultative democracy

Rongxin Li An orthodoxy in conventional democratic theory says that voting is all that really matters. Rongxin Li challenges the prominence of electoralism and majoritarianism in representative democratic practice. He argues that consultative democracy confers far more legitimacy on a decision than voting ever can or will Read more
March 3, 2023

🦋 Democracy as dissent: lessons from outside the West

Nojang Khatami There are good reasons to consider resistance a central element in any definition of democracy. Nojang Khatami invites us to look outside familiar Western experiences for resources of dissent Read more
February 27, 2023

🦋 Actualised democracy and the challenge of becoming the democratic citizens it needs

Fathali M. Moghaddam Fathali M. Moghaddam puts forward a picture of 'actualised democracy' aimed at the equal participation of every person in all public decision-making. For it to succeed, today’s citizens need upskilling into 'democratic citizens' Read more
February 20, 2023

🦋 We must not sacrifice the essence of democracy on the altar of limitless conceptual pluralism

Anastasia Deligiaouri Anastasia Deligiaouri argues that we should be wary of allowing incompatible concepts – such as 'illiberal democracy' – to dilute democracy’s essence. Rather, we must unravel and expunge the demons that lurk in democracies. By so doing, we will ensure this pluralism does not serve or fulfil autocratic desires Read more
February 9, 2023

🦋 Democracy’s 'things' should be added to the data mountain of democracy

Hilary Gopnik A community’s material things can be active participants in the democratic process. Hilary Gopnik argues that the inclusion of materiality in Jean-Paul Gagnon’s science of democracy will broaden the range of the inquiry and deepen the texture recovered Read more

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Advancing Political Science
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