Rethinking Democratic Innovations takes a fresh and critical look at diverging and often opposing views of improving democracy, and asks whether existing oppositions could also be made productive. Could different visions of democratic revitalization complement and correct each other in ways that are good for democracy?
Frank Hendriks ultimately provides an affirmative answer, outlining the scope for hybrid democratic innovations that thrive on exploiting, not eliminating, tensions between diverging visions of improved democracy.
Reflecting on various combinations – deliberative referendums, participatory budgeting-new style, and more – he posits that more versatile, connective, and embedded innovations stand a better chance of high performance on a broader spectrum than democratic innovations falling short of these qualities.
Rethinking Democratic Innovations supplements democratic theory with cultural theory. Processes of democratic innovation are understood as instances of cultural cleaning in democratic governance, which will never be finished but can be done in ways that are more productive.
The book is published by Oxford University Press.
