Can Democracy be Designed? by Robin Luckham
Constitution-making for democracy has always been a highly political and contested process. It has never been more ambitious, or more difficult, than today as politicians and experts attempt to build democratic institutions that will foster peace and stability in countries torn by violent conflict. The extended investigation out of which this book has grown has ranged across three continents. It has examined such apparently intractable cases as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sri Lanka and Fiji, as well as apparent 'success stories' like South Africa, Ghana and Uganda. The authors, while regarding democracy as a general entitlement, refuse to subscribe to a triumphalist view which sees it as a universal panacea. Instead they seek to understand how democratic institutions actually facilitate (or sometimes fail to facilitate) improved governance and the management of conflict in a variety of national settings. This thoughtful and empirical set of explorations is highly relevant to other societies wrestling with similar problems of institutional design in situations of democratic transition and/or deep-seated social conflict.
'These highly informed original contributions on the politics of institutional design offer a wealth of insights' Martin Doornbos, Institute of Social Studies, the Hague 'The book reinforces a message that cannot be repeated too often, it seems, which is the need to relate institutions and institutional innovation to its specific political context.' Vicky Randall, University of Essex
Sunil Bastian is Director of International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Colombo. Robin Luckham was Research Associate at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, following early retirement.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781842771518 |
| ISBN 10 | 1842771515 |
| Title | Can Democracy be Designed? |
| Author | Robin Luckham |
| Series | Transitions To Democracy |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2003-06-01 |
| Number of pages | 352 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |