Building Global Democracy

Several very influential authors in political science and economics have recently argued that the relationship between economic development and democracy is extremely weak, spurious, or that the causal arrow is reversed. This analysis argues that a fundam

In contrast to the hopes of some US observers, the so-called 'Baghdad Spring' of early 2005 did not mark the beginning of an era of sustained political reform in the Middle East. In an attempt to explain the resilience of authoritarian governance in the r

An extensive literature addresses citizen ignorance, but very little research focuses on misperceptions. Can these false or unsubstantiated beliefs about politics be corrected? Previous studies have not tested the efficacy of corrections in a realistic fo

The negotiation and contents of the Statute for an International Criminal Court (ICC) were strongly influenced by global civil society actors. After examining definitions of global civil society, this article will consider whether and why such involvement

The article develops a theoretical framework to analyse the social construction of citizenship at the local level in Bolivia through the Ley de Participacin Popular (LPP). It explains how decentralization at the municipal level and the introduction of par

The article concludes that while democratic culture is important to democratic governance, associations are neither uniquely helpful nor always helpful, and that it would be productive to shift the study of democratic culture from a focus on voluntary ass

This article argues that such authors as Sheri Berman and Ariel Armony have overstated the importance of the state when explaining the relationship between civil society and democracy. They have done so because no theoretical framework is currently availa

What role do moderate Islamic organizations play in promoting democratization in Malaysia and Indonesia? What is the difference between large, grassroots organizations and newer more urban-based non-governmental organization (NGOs)? Is one type of organiz

The phase of democratic consolidation can significantly impact the motives, dynamics and objectives of civil society. Its internal roles, dynamics and power balances are significantly altered by the advent of democracy, due to shifting resources, politica

The concepts news flow, global journalism/news and media regime are under theoretical construction. News media content is becoming increasingly deterritorialized, involving complex relations and flows across national borders and continents. Consequently,

The article offers new insights for democracy and for news producers by mapping the use and users of today's cross-media news landscape, as the everyday consumption of news across the range of available news media and formats is shifting reflecting transf

This article examines the neo-conservative critique of global liberal governance. It provides a theoretically oriented assessment of the neo-conservative case against international law and human rights regimes, and draws out the main political and ethical

For democracy to function well, there must be a sense of accountability by politicians as well assome participation by citizens. Accountability checks the power of leaders and encourages peopleto take active part in society, making sure that governments (

The article challenges the view that democratisation is a recipe for regional disorder in East Asia. This view is not supported by evidence. Critics of democratisation fail to consider a number of mitigating factors that may check the destabilising conseq

This paper reviews how the civilizational discourse of Islam differs from that of democracy but doesn't necessarily mean that it contradicts it. Knowing that this juxtaposition promotes diversity and distinction, this paper elucidates the factors of ambig

Indian elites are concerned about losing their role as spokesmen for developing countries in global affairs if the country abandons the principle of non-intervention in favour of democracy promotion. As links between India and most fragile South Asian sta

In a sign of broad, cross-regional pressures on democratic development, countries throughout the former Soviet Union and Central and Eastern Europe suffered declines in their democratic institutions, according to Nations in Transit 2010, a new study relea

Idasa looks at protests in South Africa over the past 15 months and asks how citizen agency has contributed to the deepening of democracy. By Theo Chiviru In a dialogue funded by the IDRC last year, Idasa considered the space civil society has within t

As politics continues to be intertwined with complex, rapidly advancing bodies of knowledge, the question arises of how we are to understand the relationship between democracy and expertise. Recent discussions have focused on the capacity for democratic p

This article lays the theoretical and methodological foundations of a new historically minded approach to the comparative study of democratization, centered on the analysis of the creation, development, and interaction of democratic institutions. Historic