The search for democratic renewal : the politics of consultation in Britain and Australia / Rob Manwaring.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Manwaring, Rob, author.

Series:

Manchester Political Studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Labour Party (Great Britain)--History.

Labour Party (Great Britain).

Australian Labor Party--History.

Australian Labor Party.

Democracy--Great Britain.

Democracy.

Democracy--Australia.

Political participation--Great Britain.

Political participation.

Political participation--Australia.

Great Britain--Politics and government.

Great Britain.

Australia--Politics and government.

Australia.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (ix, 204 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Manchester, UK : Manchester University Press, 2014.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

This book attempts to understand how two sister centre-left parties, the British Labour Party and the Australian Labor Party (ALP), have sought to adapt to the modern era and effect changes. It identifies and examines a range of drivers for Labour's desire to experiment and find new forms of citizen engagement. Linked to the influence of the New Social Democracy (NSD) is the lingering legacy of the new public management (NPM) reforms implemented in the public sectors in both countries. For Labour, democratic renewal is an attempt to secure wider legitimacy in neoliberal settings; similarly, the NSD is also linked to the debates about the perceived shift from government to governance. The NSD has attempted to respond to these debates and in Britain a concerted effort has been made to reformulate the role of the state and, by extension, civil society. The book examines how far the NSD has influenced Labour governments in Britain and Australia. It establishes Labour's interest in democratic renewal, specifically, the role of political participation and civic engagement in the wider context of democratic theory. Given that the NSD calls for an 'active citizenry', this is important. A central motif of democratic theory is an ambivalence about the role of political participation in a modern liberal democratic polity. The book explores how far New Social Democratic governments in Britain and Australia have been successful in seeking to link new forms of public dialogue to existing democratic decision-making processes in the modern western world.

Contents:

Cover; The search for democratic renewal; Contents; List of Figures and tables; Acknowledgements; 1 Labour in flux; 2 Labour, democratic renewal and the New Social Democracy; 3 Understanding political participation; 4 Political participation: continuity and change; 5 New Social Democratic governments in Britain and Australia; 6 National conversations; 7 Engagement at the regional level; 8 Beyond the glittering facade; References; Index

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 24 Apr 2026).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781847799470

1847799477

OCLC:

981638540