A leading progressive intellectual offers an "illuminating" agenda for how real democracy can triumph in America and beyond (Ari Berman, New York Times). Since the New Deal in the 1930s, there have been two eras in our political history: the liberal era, stretching up to the 1970s, followed by the neoliberal era of privatization and austerity ever since. In each period, the dominant ideology was so strong that it united even partisan opponents. But the neoliberal era is collapsing, and the central question of our time is what comes next. As acclaimed legal scholar and policy expert Ganesh Sitaraman argues, two political visions now contend for the future. One is nationalist oligarchy, which rigs the system for the rich and powerful while using nationalism to mobilize support. The other is the great democracy, which fights corruption and extends both political and economic power to all people. At this decisive moment in history, The Great Democracy offers a bold, transformative agenda for achieving real democracy.

Politics in the United States has become increasingly polarized in recent decades. Both political elites and everyday citizens are divided into rival and mutually antagonistic partisan camps, with each camp questioning the political legitimacy and democratic commitments of the other side. Does this polarization pose threats to democracy itself? What can make some democratic institutions resilient in the face of such challenges? Democratic Resilience brings together a distinguished group of specialists to examine how polarization affects the performance of institutional checks and balances as well as the political behavior of voters, civil society actors, and political elites. The volume bridges the conventional divide between institutional and behavioral approaches to the study of American politics and incorporates historical and comparative insights to explain the nature of contemporary challenges to democracy. It also breaks new ground to identify the institutional and societal sources of democratic resilience.

Discover the fascinating evolution of democracy from then until now - the influence of ancient figures, and the origins of today's political systems. Now more than ever, Democracy has become a compelling conversation topic. But have you ever wondered what has shaped the political systems that govern many societies today? Are you curious about the history of democracy? Or do you wonder how some of the democratic policies developed through the ages? Or maybe you wonder how democracies die? Many people might believe the start of democracy to be the establishment of the United States of America as it threw off the shackles of British rule. Some may even be familiar with the fact that those democratic ideals can be traced back to the teachings and practices of the ancient Greeks and Romans. But is that all there is to it? Studying history will help give you a better understanding of the origins of democracy, how it shaped our current laws and policies, and how democracy works now. Which begs the question: what does history tell us about democracy? And what does it tell us about democracy in the US now? Where did democracy start? How did it develop? What inspired and ignited an entire democratic system to govern societies? In order to understand today's democracy, we need to start from its earliest beginnings by understanding the works of the ancient philosophers who laid the foundations of democracy from the early days. Even looking at the democracy around the world today, it's clear that there are degrees to which countries choose to adhere or stray from democratic ideals. Understanding where these ideals developed from and the development of democracy over time is essential to determining what endangers these ideals in the present. Drawing from recent research and critical arguments on the development of democracy, within these pages, you'll discover: The early years of democracy and the evolution of democracy through the ages Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle - Greek philosophers whose contributions to political theory helped to shape democracy as we now know it today The democratic ideas in Ancient Rome that helped design some of the foundations of modern governments The emergency of a modern parliamentary system that resulted from reforms throughout the Medieval Ages How the Roman Republic created a legacy that continues to endure - and what we can learn from its downfall The evidence that shows widely held beliefs about democracy in the Medieval Era may be mistaken The roots of America's democracy and democracy in America now Case studies - a comparison of democracies around the world today to explore why some countries are fully democratic while others are heavily authoritarian The rising threats to democracy jeopardizing the systems that have been in place in some form for centuries And much more. Democracy has reshaped society from oppressive and authoritarian systems to a more egalitarian one, but the work is still not done. Even today, democracy is still a work in progress, and it will continue to transform as civilizations grow and develop. By understanding the principles behind Democracy and its evolution worldwide, we have a better chance of achieving "a government of the people, by the people, and for the people." If you're ready to study the history of democracy today, then scroll up and grab your copy of Democracy From Then to Now.

"Many developing countries have launched transitions from authoritarianism to democracy over the past twenty-five years. While some have succeeded in building relatively strong democracies with shared prosperity, others have stumbled. As a wave of change continues to unfold across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, the policy-relevant insights that can be gleaned from recent transitions are more salient than ever. Through case studies on Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, South Africa, Thailand, and Ukraine, Pathways to freedom explores the structural factors and policy choices that shaped eight important transitions--some successful, others less so. The case studies focus on six themes: socioeconomic inclusion and exclusion, economic structure and policies, civil society and media, legal system and rule of law, government structure, and education and demography. Additional chapters examine these themes in light of the quantitative evidence on democratization and highlight concrete policy recommendations from across the case studies. With concise historical analysis and forward-looking prescriptions, Pathways to freedom offers an authoritative and accessible look at what countries must do to build durable and prosperous democracies--and what the United States and others can do to help"--Back cover.

Freedom in the World, the Freedom House flagship survey whose findings have been published annually since 1972, is the standard-setting comparative assessment of global political rights and civil liberties. The survey ratings and narrative reports on 195 countries and fifteen territories are used by policymakers, the media, international corporations, civic activists, and human rights defenders to monitor trends in democracy and track improvements and setbacks in freedom worldwide. The Freedom in the World political rights and civil liberties ratings are determined through a multi-layered process of research and evaluation by a team of regional analysts and eminent scholars. The analysts used a broad range of sources of information, including foreign and domestic news reports, academic studies, nongovernmental organizations, think tanks, individual professional contacts, and visits to the region, in conducting their research. The methodology of the survey is derived in large measure from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and these standards are applied to all countries and territories, irrespective of geographical location, ethnic or religious composition, or level of economic development.

Why our belief in government by the people is unrealistic—and what we can do about it Democracy for Realists assails the romantic folk-theory at the heart of contemporary thinking about democratic politics and government, and offers a provocative alternative view grounded in the actual human nature of democratic citizens. Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels deploy a wealth of social-scientific evidence, including ingenious original analyses of topics ranging from abortion politics and budget deficits to the Great Depression and shark attacks, to show that the familiar ideal of thoughtful citizens steering the ship of state from the voting booth is fundamentally misguided. They demonstrate that voters—even those who are well informed and politically engaged—mostly choose parties and candidates on the basis of social identities and partisan loyalties, not political issues. They also show that voters adjust their policy views and even their perceptions of basic matters of fact to match those loyalties. When parties are roughly evenly matched, elections often turn on irrelevant or misleading considerations such as economic spurts or downturns beyond the incumbents' control; the outcomes are essentially random. Thus, voters do not control the course of public policy, even indirectly. Achen and Bartels argue that democratic theory needs to be founded on identity groups and political parties, not on the preferences of individual voters. Now with new analysis of the 2016 elections, Democracy for Realists provides a powerful challenge to conventional thinking, pointing the way toward a fundamentally different understanding of the realities and potential of democratic government.