Democratic Decline and Democratic Renewal: Political Change in Britain, Australia and New Zealand

Description

The story of liberal democracy over the last half century has been a triumphant one in many ways, with the number of democracies increasing from a minority of states to a significant majority. Yet substantial problems afflict democratic states, and while the number of democratic countries has expanded, democratic practice has contracted. This book introduces a novel framework for evaluating the rise and decline of democratic governance. Examining three mature democratic countries - Britain, Australia and New Zealand - the authors discuss patterns of governance from the emergence of mass democracy at the outset of the twentieth century through to its present condition. The shared political cultures and institutional arrangements of the three countries allow the authors to investigate comparatively the dynamics of political evolution and the possibilities for systemic developments and institutional change.

Ian Marsh is Professor in the Australian Innovation Research Centre at the University of Tasmania. Raymond Miller is Associate Professor in the Department of Politics at the University of Auckland.

'The decline of political parties as vehicles of social representation, especially in Westminster type democracies, has been both noted and bemoaned for decades. We know a lot about why this has happened, but less about what to do about it. Now we do. In Democratic Decline and Democratic Renewal Marsh and Miller make the case for an enhanced role for parliamentary committees as the institutions best adapted for twenty-first-century democracy. Building citizen identities through mobilizing ideas and institutions, they make a powerful case for a new form of post-neoliberal representation that renews the democratic spirit.' Mark Blyth, Professor of International Political Economy, Brown University 'The authors convincingly establish the need to breathe new life into our flagging democracies and offer thoughtful and constructive steps to achieve just that.' Bryan Gould, Former British MP, and writer and commentator on public policy in Britain and New Zealand 'Ground-breaking is an over-used word, but this fine comparative study amply deserves it. Ian Marsh and Raymond Miller have made a major contribution both to empirical knowledge and to normative theory. Indispensable.' David Marquand, Visiting Fellow, Politics Department, Oxford University 'In this book two political scientists accept the challenge of testing a sophisticated theoretical framework against the reality of what actually occurred in three democracies. The insights to be gained from their study are fascinating and vitally important to anyone interested in the future of democratic governance.' Sir Geoffrey Palmer, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand 'Marsh and Miller make a significant contribution to this topic with this rich study of political change in Britain, Australia and New Zealand.' Russell J. Dalton, Japanese Journal of Political Science