Compromises in Democracy

This book provides an interdisciplinary examination of the relationship between compromise and democracy. Compromises have played a significant role in our representative democracies and yet the nature of the relationship between compromise and democracy has generally raised tricky theoretical questions and generated ambiguous evaluations. This book focuses on the relationship between compromise and liberal democracies from both a cultural and institutional perspective and addresses new and lesser-explored aspects of the relationship. It explores a variety of topics including: compromise and in-commensurable values, antagonist paradigms, compromise and majority decisions, compromise and publicity, compromise and post-conflict societies, compromise and anti-system political parties, and compromise and the understanding of political representation. Compromises in Democracy offers an original perspective on the topic by assembling contributions from the fields of philosophy, sociology, political theory, political science and history of ideas.

Argues that compromise is culturally circumscribed and therefore subject to change across time and across cultures Examines how political compromise is facilitated or inhibited by the existing democratic institutions and practices Draws on philosophy, sociology, political theory, political science and history

Autorentext

Sandrine Baume is Professor at the Centre for Public Law of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. She is a political theorist and a historian of ideas. Her research focuses mainly on democratic theory. Her recent work concentrates on the imperative of transparency in public affairs, the value of compromise in democracy and the impact of misinformation on the quality of the democratic process Stéphanie Novak is Associate Professor of political science and international relations at the University Ca' Foscari of Venice, Italy. Her research interests include decisional processes, EU institutions, informal norms, transparency and accountability.

Inhalt

1. Introduction.- 2. Compromise and the People's Two Bodies, Alin Fumurescu.- 3.Compromise and Majority Rule: How their Dynamic Affects Democracy, Patrick Overeem.- 4. Compromise and Publicity in Democracy: An Ambiguous Relationship, Sandrine Baume & Stéphanie Novak.- 5. Agonistic Compromise, Manon Westphal.- 6. Compromise between Incommensurable Values, Martijn Boot.- 7. Cultural Compromise, Dominik Gerber.- 8. Militant Consociational Democracy: The Political Exclusion of the Extreme-Right in Belgium, Matthijs Bogaards.- 9. Towards a Sociology of Social Compromise: Social Compromise Amongst Victims of Conflict in Northern Ireland, South Africa and Sri Lanka, John D. Brewer.