Democracy in the Contemporary State

This study assesses the contemporary condition of democracy, considering it as a decision-making procedure based on certain civic freedoms and supported by the rule of law. Drawing examples from a number of countries, Bealey examines the theory of democracy as a participatory process in light of current policy-making and exercises of power, paying particular attention to the bypassing of conventional routes through representative institutions and the resulting negotiations between interest groups and governments. He also explores the implications bargaining has for democracy, the impact of leadership, and how centralized modern democracies could and should deal with pressures toward egalitarianism.