Reviews

On the State of Democracy (2007) edited by Julio Faundez

Oxon/New York: Routledge. 221 pages. ISBN 0-415-41420-2. £22.99 paperback.

This international study of the state of democracy, that first appeared as a special issue in the journal 'Democratisation' in 2005, contributes to our understanding of new and old democracies. It is a compilation of essays from top-notch academics on countries from all over the world, from the United Kingdom, the United States, China, and countries of Latin America. With an introduction by Julio Faundez, Professor of Law at Warwick University, it is divided into four sections: Politics, Markets, Law and Empowerment. It is truly a thought provoking compilation that deals with a vast number of issues affecting democratic regimes. - From regimes that are unable to satisfy economic and social requirements while undermining civil and political freedoms, to voter apathy, media control, citizens' distrust of politicians and corruption in old democracies.

After a comprehensive introduction, section one on politics opens with an insightful essay from Sir Bernard Crick that focuses on populism and how the threat of populism can be overcome by urgent institutional reforms to help focus citizen interests. Paul Webb in 'Political Parties and Democracy' calls into question the argument that political parties face a crisis by countering that there never was a golden age of party influence of government policies. Aidan White completes this section in 'Truth, Honesty and Spin' by shifting the focus to the media, and how 'public relations and spin' creates a situation whereby governments can now directly influence public opinion by circumventing democratic processes. White calls for a return to journalism founded on professionalism with reporters and news editors receiving fair treatment.

In section two, Donatella Della Porta, Adrian Leftwich, and Mushtaq H. Khan explore the relationships between markets, globalisation, development and democracy. Della Porta first explores the positive and negative consequences of the process of globalisation. Acknowledging the somewhat utopian nature of her proposal, Della Porta calls for introducing democratic practices at the international level, at the same time reinforcing democracy at the national level. Adrian Leftwich questions the position of whether or not democratic institutions do in fact produce economic development rather than resulting in a perspective that views 'enhancing democracy' and pursuing 'economic development' as incompatible. Leftwich provides a stimulating account of their complementary nature. Mushtaq Khan writes about why democratisation is unlikely to overturn patron-client relations of formal and informal economic processes until a minimum level of economic development is reached. In what appears at first glance to be a defence of authoritarianism, Khan side steps this conclusion by calling for policy makers to acquire an understanding of patron-client relations in order to spot processes that are compatible with developing a capitalist sector.

Section three deals with the widely held position that the law is an essential attribute to democratic systems. William Forbath looks at poverty and welfare rights in the United States. After a detailed account of social rights evolution since the New Deal, Forbath posits that the courts still have a role to play in the elaboration of social rights and argues for a conceptual framework that clearly distinguishes between welfare rights and social citizenship. Julio Faundez questions if it is even realistic to expect the law to contribute to the process of democratisation in Chile and Columbia. Beginning with Chile, Faundez argues that decisions made by progressive politicians to build a more inclusive polity to deal with constitutional and political fundamentals resulted in an increase in the conflict they were trying to pacify and a collapse in democracy. The Constitutional Court in Columbia stands in contrast to Chile, argues Faundez. While decisions made by the court in Chile led to the collapse of democracy, the courts in Columbia have contributed to a stable political system while at the same time enhancing the legitimacy of the legal system and legal institutions. John McEldowney concludes section three by looking at the experience of the United Kingdom and the emergency measures introduced by the government against terrorism and Northern Ireland. The central point of McEldowney's argument being that emergency measures designed to meet a specific threat tend to transgress into other areas of the law and become permanent. With the recent 9/11 attacks on the United States and subsequent attacks in Bali, Madrid and London, to name a few, resulting in excitable legislative activity in numerous countries, McEldowney's position is that open debate and rigorous scrutiny by the courts are necessary to ensure that objectives are achieved while not eroding the rule of law or integrity of the democratic process.

The final section on Empowerment looks at 'democratising democracy' from a feminist perspective, democratic thought and practices in rural China, and attempts at building inclusive democracies in Latin America. Andrea Cornwall and Anne Maria Goetz argue that increasing women's access to political office does not redress embedded disadvantages. By merely increasing the number of elected women, it has the unintended consequence of creating bias against women. The issue for Cornwall and Goetz is that women require more politically orientated skills that cannot be acquired in community based organisations. Acknowledging the continued need for more women in political office, they ask for women to have the opportunity to promote their political agendas. Susanne Brandtstadter and Gunter Schubert look for 'sprouts of democracy' within 'peasant' China. They identify modes and patterns of peasant democracy, covering various regions of China: Fujian, Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, Jilin Province, and Hunan Province. Brandtstadter and Schubert put forward the idea that 'village elections' are creating a new 'moral contract' between villagers and the state, reinforcing the authority of the state, and legitimising acts of popular resistance. Donna Lee Van Cott's examination of how Latin American countries are building democracies that include indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities. Van Cott, after reviewing approaches proposed by scholars and policy makers, argues that even though it might be too early to say, and that privileged elites and business interests are reluctant to implement them, legal and constitutional provisions to include collective land rights, the right to self-government, reservation of seats and the right to bilingual education, have had practical consequences in Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador and Bolivia.

Although this is an interesting and enjoyable read, I feel that because of the vast scope of countries and issues covered, what was needed at the end was a summing up of conclusions reached. The calibre of the authors is well known to those who already engage in this research area and the book does have the potential to be a 'reader' for undergraduate students of democracy.

Steven McDermott, University of Aberdeen.