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In our current era of deep distrust in our politics and political institutions, there is also a pervasive sense that social problems are so overwhelmingly complex that it is virtually impossible to solve them. In Democracy Inside, Albert W. Dzur looks at recent instances of effective citizen action across the United States to develop a grounded political theory of democratic change, one in which citizens effectively engage with institutions. Drawing on qualitative interviews with practitioners involved in democratic schools, restorative and community justice, and collaborative city governance, Dzur stresses that we need to turn to ordinary, daily life and focus on how "democratic professionals" are breaking down barriers and bring people into decision-making processes at the granular level. These reformers are not transforming high politics or national-scale institutions, but they have been effective at changing the routine, everyday practices where people live and work. As Democracy Inside shows, if we really want to expand the democracy and build citizen engagement intensity in American life, we need to look beyond traditional politics and transform our classrooms, courtrooms, and offices into accessible civic spaces.
List of contents
- Preface
- Chapter 1: Democratic Professionals as Agents of Change
- Chapter 2: Institutions as Fields of Action
- Chapter 3: Democratic Innovation in K-12 Education
- Chapter 4: Democratic Innovation in Criminal Justice
- Chapter 5: Democratic Innovation in Public Administration
- Chapter 6: Growing and Sustaining Cultures of Participatory Innovation: Barriers, Openings, and the Role of Democratic Inquiry
- Conclusion
About the author
Albert W. Dzur is Professor of Political Science and Philosophy at Bowling Green State University. He is a democratic theorist with an interest in citizen participation and power-sharing in education, criminal justice, and public administration. He is also the author of Democratic Professionalism; Punishment, Participatory Democracy, and the Jury; Rebuilding Public Institutions Together; and a co-editor of Democratic Theory and Mass Incarceration.
Summary
Democracy Inside develops a grounded theory of democratic change, citizen agency, and institutions as fields of action. The book investigates contemporary participatory innovations in K-12 education, criminal justice, and city government that share power over tasks and decisions commonly treated as professional matters.
