Associative Democracy and the Crises of Representative Democracies

'This is a very timely intervention in an ongoing debate on the future of democracy and capitalism. Bringing together various strands of this debate which have hitherto been pursued in splendid isolation from each other, is one of the outstanding merits of the book. Its other merit, going beyond the limits of contemporary debates, are the very detailed and thorough discussions of major problems of extant democratic institutions as well as the difficulties of institutional reforms. Its third merit, no less than the previous ones, is to be found in a careful reassessment of the concept of associative democracy, providing a useful focus for rethinking the possibilities of a future economic democracy (or a democratic socialism). The book will largely contribute to refocussing and advancing the debate on the crises of democracies and their possible futures.'

Michael R. Krätke, Professor Emeritus of Political Economy, Lancaster University, UK and Visiting Professor of Political Economy, Tohoku University, Japan

'This complex and subtle book explores the possibilities for transforming contemporary capitalist societies in a more democratic direction. It draws effectively upon normative and empirical research to present a sophisticated account of why pluralistic, multi-level associative democracy is possible today. A major contribution.'

Joseph H. Carens, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Toronto, Canada