The New Social Contract

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Sverker C. Jagers

"Both eco-authoritarian and democratic scholars have claimed that a liberal democracy cannot pay due attention to the environment. However, such claims call for profound analysis. Jagers argues that much in the debate on liberal democracy and environmental concern can be more stringently elaborated. For instance, there has been a tendency to compound philosophical and institutional objections against liberal democracy. Often it is unclear what the critical voices actually mean when they speak of liberal democracy. In addition, the compatibility between specific forms of liberal democracy and sustainable development has not been thoroughly investigated. Most studies have been limited to comparing liberal and ecological values, or ecological values and liberal institutions. To avoid many of these shortcomings, this study analyzes the compatibility between sustainable development policies and liberal democracy by combining political theory and resource scenarios based on environmental science."--BOOK JACKET.

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Humberto Vélez Ramírez

"Twelve informative essays discuss topics such as democracy, the political regime, violence, neoliberalism, State intervention in social life, and the 1991 constituent assembly. Essays together provide valuable insight on the political environment in early 1990s when democratic movements appeared to be growing, while violence continued to escalate"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 57.

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Bill Moyers

From Moyer's third PBS series, this text represents an unparalleled entree into the debates, the intellectual and cultural currents, and above all the fascinating people that have so powerfully shaped modern times.

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Eberhard Kienle

<">The author argues in this text that the much-vaunted reform and liberalisation of Egypt's economy has been partial and selective, far from beneficial to all Egyptians. While the encouragement of the private sector has indeed benefited some, it has failed to improve the standard of living of others, in particular the lower middle classes and a large part of the landless rural population. Most importantly, economic reform and liberalisation have failed to produce a greater degree of political democracy: notions of political accountability, clean elections, a genuinely free press, the containment of police powers have turned out to be a great delusion which masks restrictions on political participation and civil liberties.<">--Bloomsbury Publishing.