What Democracy Is for: On Freedom and Moral Government - Paperback

by Stein Ringen (Author)

In this provocative book, Stein Ringen argues that the world's democracies are failing to live up to their ideals--the United States and Great Britain most especially. The core value of democracy, he contends, is freedom, the freedom to live a good life according to one's own choosing. Yet he shows that democracy's freedom is on the decline. Citizens are increasingly distrustful of political systems weighted by money, and they don't participate in political affairs as they once did. Ringen warns of the risks we face if this trend continues, and puts forth an ambitious proposal for democratic reforms.

The issues that concern him are ones that should concern us all. They include education, poverty, the social and economic roles of families, the lack of democracy in our economic lives, and the need to rejuvenate municipal democracy. Along the way, Ringen proposes policy solutions aimed at restoring democracy, such as universal vouchers for education, substituting the principle of individual insurance for social-welfare pensions, and rethinking how we measure poverty in rich and poor countries. He calls for the revival of local democracy, a democratically grounded global economy, and the protection of political democracy from the transgressions of economic power.

The way to protect democracy is not to cheer it, but to reform it. What Democracy Is For offers a bold defense of democratic ideals, grounded in real reforms.

Back Jacket

"This book, of Tocquevillian inspiration, is particularly welcome in a time of growing skepticism on the virtues of democracy and possibly of withering democracy. It shows that genuine progress is possible, that reforms by good governments can improve the life chances of more people and consequently their ability to be the masters of their own life, in a word: to be free. What Democracy Is For crowns twenty years of reflection, research, and publication on democracy. It will easily reach the status of a classic in the great liberal tradition."--Raymond Boudon, Institut de France

"Ringen's book is a serious and engaging intellectual work--the product of a lively mind grappling with profound issues of modern democracy. It's also a timely work. Ringen examines the classic arguments about what freedom and liberty really mean and the conditions that give rise to freedom. What Democracy Is For raises important questions that are of fundamental interest to anyone concerned about revitalizing the case to be made for democracy."--Neil Gilbert, University of California, Berkeley

"This book is written by one of the leading scholars in the field, but in plain-man's language that everybody can understand. Each chapter is at the level of the state of the art and provides a host of illuminating insights. This is not just another mainstream book but a unique piece on the merits and problems of democracy which will have an impact on how the next generation thinks."--Jens Alber, Social Science Research Center Berlin

Author Biography

Stein Ringen is Professor of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Oxford. His books include Citizens, Families, and Reform and The Possibility of Politics.