Downsizing Democracy : How America Sidelined Its Citizens and Privatized Its Public / / Matthew A. Crenson and Benjamin Ginsberg.

• VerfasserIn: Crenson, Matthew A., 1943-,
• TeilnehmendeR: Ginsberg, Benjamin.
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (1 online resource (xii, 294 pages))
• Notes: The text of this book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License; Open access edition supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities / Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Humanities Open Book Program.; Originally published as Johns Hopkins Press in 2002

Originally publushed in 2002. In Downsizing Democracy, Matthew A. Crenson and Benjamin Ginsberg describe how the once powerful idea of a collective citizenry has given way to a concept of personal, autonomous democracy. Today, political change is effected through litigation, lobbying, and term limits, rather than active participation in the political process, resulting in narrow special interest groups dominating state and federal decision-making. At a time when an American's investment in the democratic process has largely been reduced to an annual contribution to a political party or organization, Downsizing Democracy offers a critical reassessment of American democracy.

Table of Contents

From popular to personal democracy -- The rise and fall of the citizen -- Elections without voters -- Political parties: the old patronage and the new -- Disunited we stand -- From masses to mailing lists -- The jurisprudence of personal democracy -- Movements without members -- Privatizing the public -- Does anyone need citizens?