The book explores the idea that changing laws is not only essential but also a compelling aspect of democracy. Melissa Schwartzberg delves into the relationship between democratic principles and legal modification, highlighting how this process can enhance democratic engagement and reflect the evolving values of society. Through her analysis, she emphasizes the importance of legal change as a means for citizens to actively participate in shaping their governance.
Examines the history underlying the use of supermajority voting rules and
offers a critique of their ability to remedy the defects of majority decision
making.
Bargains are a fact of political life. But if bargaining inevitably involves
asymmetric power, can it ever be just? Drawing on an analogy to the private
law of contracts and on case studies across arenas of civic life, Democratic
Deals shows that, subject to proper limits, bargaining can secure political
equality and protect fundamental interests.
A distinguished group of scholars explore the moral values and political consequences of privatization The 21st century has seen a proliferation of privatization across industries in the United States, from security and the military to public transportation and infrastructure. In shifting control from the state to private actors, do we weaken or strengthen structures of governance? Do state-owned enterprises promise to be more equal and fair than their privately-owned rivals? What role can accountability measures play in mediating the effects of privatization; and what role does coercion play in the state governance and control? In this latest installment from the NOMOS series, an interdisciplinary group of distinguished scholars in political science, law, and philosophy examine the moral and political consequences of transferring state-provided or state-owned goods and services to the private sector.The essays consider how we should evaluate the decision to privatize, both with respect to the quality of outcomes that might be produced, and in terms of the effects of privatization on the core values underlying democratic decision-making. Privatization also affects the structure of governance in a variety of important ways, and these essays evaluate the consequences of privatization on the state. Privatization sheds new light on these highly salient questions of contemporary political life and institutional design.
An in-depth political, legal, and philosophical study into the implications of wealth inequality in modern societies. Wealth, and specifically its distribution, has been a topic of great debate in recent years. Calls for justice against corporations implicated in the 2008 financial crash; populist rallying against "the one percent"; distrust of the influence of wealthy donors on elections and policy--all of these issues have their roots in a larger discussion of how wealth operates in American economic and political life
