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What are “Democratic Innovations”?

ByRikki Dean

I was the guest for the June episode of the new podcast from Goethe University, Talk Social Science To Me. The main theme was to discuss new ways of involving citizens in democracy, but the conversation led us to many topics, ranging from the effects of the pandemic on democratic governance to the role of democracies in the climate crisis. The podcast is now available on Spotify, Youtube and other podcast providers.

Reading List

Afsahi, Afsoun, Emily Beausoleil, Rikki Dean, Selen A. Ercan, and Jean-Paul Gagnon. 2020. “Democracy in a Global Emergency: Five Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Democratic Theory 7 (2): v–xix. https://doi.org/10.3167/dt.2020.070201

Dean, Rikki J. 2017. “Beyond Radicalism and Resignation: The Competing Logics for Public Participation in Policy Decisions.” Policy & Politics 45 (2): 213–30. https://doi.org/10.1332/030557316X145…

———. 2018. “Counter-Governance: Citizen Participation Beyond Collaboration.” Politics and Governance 6 (1): 180–88. https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v6i1.1221

Gilens, Martin, and Benjamin I. Page. 2014. “Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens.” Perspectives on Politics 12 (03): 564–81. https://doi.org/10.1017/S153759271400…

Gough, Ian. 2017. Heat, Greed and Human Need: Climate Change, Capitalism and Sustainable Wellbeing. Heat, Greed and Human Need. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://www.elgaronline.com/view/9781…

McCormick, John P. 2011. Machiavellian Democracy. Cambridge University Press.

Smith, Graham. 2009. Democratic Innovations. Cambridge University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO97805116…

Vergara, Camila. 2020. Systemic Corruption: Constitutional Ideas for an Anti-Oligarchic Republic. Princeton University Press.

Winters, Jeffrey A., and Benjamin I. Page. 2009. “Oligarchy in the United States?” Perspectives on Politics 7 (04): 731–51. https://doi.org/10.1017/S153759270999…

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