Table of Contents

Introduction: The crisis and the future of democracy Part 1: The Great Disruption: Anger and Fear 1. It is not about development, but effectiveness 2. Less bourgeoisie, less democracy 3. The split of the middle class 4. Nationalists against the European Union 5. Make America divided again 6. India, Indonesia: poor but delivering Part 2: The Global Future: Hope 7. High effectiveness requires multiple governments 8. Local government thrives in an open world 9. National democracy needs multi-party cooperation 10. Continental unions prosper: America, India, Europe 11. Global institutions prefigure a world government 12. There will be more democracies, but it may take a while Conclusion: Should we still call it “democracy”?

About the Author

Josep M. Colomer is a political scientist and economist who has been a professor and researcher in his natal Barcelona, Mexico City, New York, and Washington. He is a member by election of the Academy of Europe and a life member of the American Political Science Association. Author of the reference textbook The Science of Politics and two-dozen books about democratization, comparative institutions, electoral systems, European politics, and global governance.

Ashley L. Beale is a policy communications and public affairs professional currently at INGO GiveDirectly. She has worked for the US Senate, UNESCO in Paris, the Indian Parliament, and the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign team to drive issues around democracy, governance and international development.

Reviews

"This is an enormously impressive update on what we need to know about democracy. Excellent analysis of democracy's many problems, but also a welcome outline of why we can have hope for a better global future. Really fascinating, insightful, and inspiring." — Arend Lijphart, former President of the American Political Science Association"Extremely timely and relevant, and likely to remain so. Exceptionally accessible and active for a scholarly book; it is the kind of book which could also have appeal beyond the academic world."— Benjamin Reilly, University of Western Australia, Australia"A quite unusual global coverage. Particularly appreciated is the inclusion of India, incredibly misconsidered in many international comparative works on democracy. The style is very clear and appealing for a wide audience beyond the academic circle."— Piero Ignazi, University of Bologna, Italy"This is a much-needed introduction to world affairs, one that ably combines themes in comparative and international politics in a thought-provoking way."— Alfred G. Cuzán, The University of West Florida, U.S.A

"This is an enormously impressive update on what we need to know about democracy. Excellent analysis of democracy's many problems, but also a welcome outline of why we can have hope for a better global future. Really fascinating, insightful, and inspiring." — Arend Lijphart, former President of the American Political Science Association"Extremely timely and relevant, and likely to remain so. Exceptionally accessible and active for a scholarly book; it is the kind of book which could also have appeal beyond the academic world."— Benjamin Reilly, University of Western Australia, Australia"A quite unusual global coverage. Particularly appreciated is the inclusion of India, incredibly misconsidered in many international comparative works on democracy. The style is very clear and appealing for a wide audience beyond the academic circle."— Piero Ignazi, University of Bologna, Italy"This is a much-needed introduction to world affairs, one that ably combines themes in comparative and international politics in a thought-provoking way."— Alfred G. Cuzán, The University of West Florida, U.S.AOne of the Financial Times’ best Economics books of 2020