Democratizing inequalities : dilemmas of the new public participation / edited by Caroline W. Lee, Michael McQuarrie, and Edward T. Walker.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Lee, Caroline W., editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political participation.

Social participation.

Democracy.

Elite (Social sciences).

Equality.

Physical Description:

xiv, 298 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, [2015]

Summary:

"Opportunities to "have your say," "get involved," and "join the conversation" are everywhere in public life. From crowdsourcing and town hall meetings to government experiments with social media, participatory politics increasingly seem like a revolutionary antidote to the decline of civic engagement and the thinning of the contemporary public sphere. Many argue that, with new technologies, flexible organizational cultures, and a supportive policymaking context, we now hold the keys to large-scale democratic revitalization. Democratizing Inequalities shows that the equation may not be so simple. Modern societies face a variety of structural problems that limit potentials for true democratization, as well as vast inequalities in political action and voice that are not easily resolved by participatory solutions. Popular participation may even reinforce elite power in unexpected ways. Resisting an oversimplified account of participation as empowerment, this collection of essays brings together a diverse range of leading scholars to reveal surprising insights into how dilemmas of the new public participation play out in politics and organizations. Through investigations including fights over the authenticity of business-sponsored public participation, the surge of the Tea Party, the role of corporations in electoral campaigns, and participatory budgeting practices in Brazil, Democratizing Inequalities seeks to refresh our understanding of public participation and trace the reshaping of authority in today's political environment"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Part I Introduction

1 Rising Participation and Declining Democracy / Edward T. Walker Walker, Edward T., Michael Mcquarrie Mcquarrie, Michael, Caroline W. Lee Lee, Caroline W. 3

Part II Participation and the Reproduction of Inequality

2 Civic-izing Markets: Selling Social Profits in Public Deliberation / Caroline W. Lee Lee, Caroline W., Kelly McNulty McNulty, Kelly, Sarah Shaffer Shaffer, Sarah 27

3 Workers' Rights as Human Rights? Solidarity Campaigns and the Anti-Sweatshop Movement / Steven Vallas Vallas, Steven, J. Matthew Judge Judge, J. Matthew, Emily R. Cummins Cummins, Emily R. 46

4 Legitimating the Corporation through Public Participation / Edward T. Walker Walker, Edward T. 66

Part III The Production of Authority and Legitimacy

5 No Contest: Participatory Technologies and the Transformation of Urban Authority / Michael Mcquarrie Mcquarrie, Michael 83

6 The Fiscal Sociology of Public Consultation / Isaac William Martin Martin, Isaac William 102

7 Structuring Electoral Participation: The Formalization of Democratic New Media Campaigning, 2000-2008 / Daniel Kreiss Kreiss, Daniel 125

8 Patient, Parent, Advocate, Investor: Entrepreneurial Health Activism from Research to Reimbursement / David Schleifer Schleifer, David, Aaron Panofsky Panofsky, Aaron 143

Part IV Unintended Consequences and New Opportunities

9 Spirals of Perpetual Potential: How Empowerment Projects' Noble Missions Tangle in Everyday Interaction / Nina Eliasoph Eliasoph, Nina 165

10 Becoming a Best Practice: Neoliberalism and the Curious Case Participatory Budgeting / Gianpaolo Baiocchi Baiocchi, Gianpaolo, Ernesto Ganuza Ganuza, Ernesto 187

11 The Social Movement Society, the Tea Party, and I he Democratic Deficit / David S. Meyer Meyer, David S., Amanda Pullum Pullum, Amanda 204

12 Public Deliberation and Political Contention / Francesca Polletta Polletta, Francesca 222

Part V Conclusion

13 Realizing the Promise of Public Participalion in an Age of Inequality / Caroline W. Lee Lee, Caroline W., Michael Mcquarrie Mcquarrie, Michael, Edward T. Walker Walker, Edward T. 247.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781479847273

1479847275

9781479883363

1479883360

OCLC:

876883343

Online:

Cover image