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Protest and the Ambiguous Politics of Indignation
What makes indignation ‘political’? And why should we care about it? Drawing on field-work among four movements in Belgium (2017–2021) – The Youth for Climate movement, the Citizen platform for refugee support, the Yellow Vests movement and the radical-right movement Schild & Vrienden – this book investigates both the meanings and implications of indignation in the context of mobilization. In particular, the book argues that what is often reduced to a form of ‘moral anger’ which triggers protest is in fact much more complex and ambiguous. Indignation is not just anger: it is rooted in hate and love. It may also harbour textures of compassion and disgust. It may be a culmination...
Democracy for Busy People
Advances an alternative approach to democratic reform that focuses on building institutions that empower people who have little time for politics. How do we make democracy more equal? Although in theory, all citizens in a democracy have the right to participate in politics, time-consuming forms of participation often advantage some groups over others. Where some citizens may have time to wait in long lines to vote, to volunteer for a campaign, to attend community board meetings, or to stay up to date on national, state, and local news, other citizens struggle to do the same. Since not all people have the time or inclination to devote substantial energy to politics, certain forms of participa...
Bitter-Sweet Democracy?
Discussions about the ‘crisis of representative democracy’ have dominated scholarly and public discourse for some time now. But what does this phrase actually entail, and what is its relevance today? How do citizens themselves experience, feel and respond to this ‘crisis’? Bitter-Sweet Democracy grapples with the complexities of these questions in the context of citizens’ relations to politics in Belgium—a nation that has experienced political instability and protests as well as social mobilization and democratic vitality in recent years. This timely and compelling volume offers new, empirical evidence on the state of trust, democracy and representation in Belgium; it further int...
The Parliamentary Dimension of the Conference on the Future of Europe
This book offers a comprehensive and timely analysis of the parliamentary dimension of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) – an unprecedented experiment in which parliamentary representation met transnational citizen participation in the European Union (EU). Across twelve chapters, the book investigates the CoFoE as an opportunity structure for both the European Parliament (EP) as the “host” of the process, and national as well as regional parliaments, as the “guests” in this process, to fulfil and revitalise their key functions in EU multi-level democracy. The book also provides a valuable source of insights for representatives in national parliaments and the newly elec...
Why Minor Powers Risk Wars with Major Powers
Through a range of case studies spanning the post-Cold War period in Iraq, Moldova and Serbia, this innovative book breaks new ground in its study of asymmetric conflicts where warring sides exhibit vast power differentials. It uses multiple theories to examine the different pathways that encourage minor powers to engage in both offensive and defensive wars that they are likely to lose, analysing domestic crisis as a key catalyst and considering ways to mitigate conditions that drive conflict. The author provides an important framework that can be applied to contemporary conflicts elsewhere.
Handbook on Local and Regional Governance
Holistic in approach, this Handbook’s international range of leading scholars present complementary perspectives, both theoretical and empirically pertinent, to explore recent developments in the field of local and regional governance.
The Impacts of Democratic Innovations
Representative democracy is in crisis. One remedy is to foster citizen participation beyond elections. This has led to the development of democratic innovations such as participatory budgeting and citizens’ assemblies, through which lay citizens can discuss political problems, and make meaningful contributions. Democratic innovations' critics argue that they fail to truly empower citizens; that they impede democratic representation and efficient government. Advocates assert that democratic innovations make political systems more inclusive and democratic. Do these institutions matter for policy-making? Do they affect the broader public? What do political leaders do with their recommendations? How can we scrutinise democratic innovations’ impacts? Do they truly transform representation? This book brings together scholars from a range of disciplines to offer innovative ideas to develop research, improve our knowledge of the impacts of democratic innovations, and help us respond more effectively to contemporary democratic challenges.
