Saving Democracy

Is democracy really in crisis? Or is there still time to save it? There is a widespread belief that citizens in liberal democracies have grown increasingly distrustful of politicians, cynical about national and global governance institutions and disillusioned with democratic processes and principles. This text offers a state-of-the art overview of democratic innovations today, moving beyond cries of the 'death' or 'end' of democracy to instead offer a range of practical solutions for how to save democracy and restore faith in democratic practice. 'Old' democratic power, represented by existing structures, is being challenged. 'New' power involves collaboration and rapid feedback loops, as well as increased citizen participation. The future of democracy,the authors argue, will be about findings ways of melding 'old' and 'new' power practices. Offering a broad and accessible survey of what different forms of democracy and democratic innovations look like today, and how they can develop in future, Saving Democracy shows us the potential for transformation across the entire democratic process. Avoiding a reductive focus on simply getting citizens more involved in decision-making, this book uniquely argues for the importance of refining and monitoring how democratic decisions are made and how they are followed through. An essential read for students of democracy and democratic innovation, for those working in political reform, and for anyone seeking an answer to one of the key challenges of the twenty-firstcentury: can democratic politics find new ways of working that will restore faith in its practices?--