From Statism To Pluralism

Modern societies currently lack positive alternative visions of the future. Many commentators have claimed that the only option is a return to free-market capitalism, in which success and survival depend on being as competitive as possible whether as a nation, firm or individual. Yet nations such as Germany and Japan, that might have provided a model of how to do this, are now seen to be failing, and the future for firms seems to be one of ceaseless adaptation to rapid change. Paul Hirst argues that there are viable alternative futures. In From statism to pluralism he advances a model - associative democracy - that, he suggests, addresses the major obstacles to democracy today. Associative democracy is a way of revitalizing democratic accountability and economic governance, through devolving social affairs to voluntary self-governing associations. In a post-liberal society dominated by large, hierarchically-controlled organizations in both the private and public sectors, associative democracy provides a means to re-establish democratic ideals and liberal values. These provocative and compelling essays from one of today's most lively and inventive thinkers, represent an attempt to re-state a practical third way between the discredited ideals of state socialism and laissez-faire capitalism. From statism to pluralism will be essential reading for all those interested in the ideological renewal of the left.

Modern societies currently lack positive alternative visions of the future. Many writers have claimed that the only option is a return to free-market capitalism, in which success and survival depend on being as competitive as possible whether as a nation, firm or individual.; Paul Hirst argues that there are viable alternative futures and widely applicable models that can be used to structure change. Hirst's distinctive approach to political theory reasons from real political problems rather than confining itself to abstract concepts.; Presenting an innovative political position, this collection of essays represents an attempt to re- state a practical third way between the discredited ideals of state socialism and laissez-faire capitalism.

This volume traces Paul Hirst's approach to contemporary politics, an approach that reasons from real political problems rather than abstract concepts, arguing for a "third way" between state socialism and "laissez- faire" capitalism.

Pluralism today is not much a particular school of thought or coherent body of theory. McLennan argues that pluralism is an indispensable reference point across a spectrum of social scientific debates.

This book is volume of the series: The World of Political Science - The development of the discipline Edited by Michael Stein and John Trent The book focuses on the study of democratic processes. Special emphasis is put (1) on the existence of a diversity of (e. g. socio-economic, ethno-cultural,...) interests and the transformation of this diversity into public policies, (2) on the participatory features of democracy and on barriers to individual and group participation due to disparities in economic and political resources.

The book analyses and evaluates the development role and impact of the state in East Asia, in both capitalist (South Korea and Taiwan) and socialist (China) contexts. It makes use of new research data on the mechanisms and impact of state intervention in East Asian development and presents an original theory, taking issue with the conventional view that East Asian development reflects the power of market forces.

This is the first work in political theory to bring together IR, comparative politics and political theory approaches to analyze the post-sovereign state and develop a new interpretative scheme for social and political scientists.

The achievements of the democratic constitutional order have long been associated with the sovereign nation-state. Civic nationalist assumptions hold that social solidarity and social plurality are compatible, offering a path to guarantees of individual rights, social justice, and tolerance for minority voices. Yet today, challenges to the liberal-democratic sovereign nation-state are proliferating on all levels, from multinational corporations and international institutions to populist nationalisms and revanchist ethnic and religious movements. Many critics see the nation-state itself as a tool of racial and economic exclusion and repression. What other options are available for managing pluralism, fostering self-government, furthering social justice, and defending equality? In this interdisciplinary volume, a group of prominent international scholars considers alternative political formations to the nation-state and their ability to preserve and expand the achievements of democratic constitutionalism in the twenty-first century. The book considers four different principles of organization—federation, subsidiarity, status group legal pluralism, and transnational corporate autonomy—contrasts them with the unitary and centralized nation-state, and inquires into their capacity to deal with deep societal differences. In essays that examine empire, indigenous struggles, corporate institutions, forms of federalism, and the complexities of political secularism, anthropologists, historians, legal scholars, political scientists, and sociologists remind us that the sovereign nation-state is not inevitable and that multinational and federal states need not privilege a particular group. Forms of Pluralism and Democratic Constitutionalism helps us answer the crucial question of whether any of the alternatives might be better suited to core democratic principles.