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- Volume 3, Issue 1, 2004
Portuguese Journal of Social Science - Volume 3, Issue 1, 2004
Volume 3, Issue 1, 2004
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How citizens decide in direct-democratic votes
More LessAccording to Schumpeter’s extraordinarily influential ‘realistic’ theory of representative democracy, democracy is essentially a method for vesting in certain individuals the power to make binding political. The essence of representative democracy is the ability of citizens to replace one government by another and, hence, to hold the political decision-makers accountable to them. For Schumpeter and his followers, it is not only natural, but also desirable that the role of the citizens in the political process be narrowly circumscribed. Therefore, the supporters of the ‘realist’ theory of democracy have always been highly sceptical about direct-democratic procedures. They simply do not believe that citizens are sufficiently qualified for direct participation in political decision-making. Citizens tend to be little interested in politics and badly informed about it. However, this does not mean that they are unable to make meaningful political decisions. I shall argue that citizens can make meaningful decision, because their choices are simplified and pre-structured by the institutional setting and by the heuristic cues and the arguments provided by the political elites.
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Social trust: individual and cross-national approaches
More LessSocial trust is often said to be the essence of social capital. Trusting citizens are good citizens. Theorists argue that voluntary associations are crucial to the association between trust and social capital, on the one hand, and vibrant and stable democracy, on the other. Unfortunately, there is not a great deal of convincing evidence to support this important theory. At the individual level, it is rather hard to explain the origins of trust insofar as it is not closely associated with many of the usual array of social characteristics such as education, income, class, race, age, or gender. Most research deals with social trust at the individual level. However, there are theoretical reasons to expect social capital to operate at the societal level of social systems - local, regional, or national. If we turn our attention to the cross-national comparison of countries then we do discover a close association between measures of social capital and democratic development. Comparing 60 countries covered by the third wave of the World Values Study shows that social trust is strongly associated with a range of societal characteristics that underpin democratic development and stability.
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What kind of civil society is best for democracy?
More LessThe correlation between civil society and democracy and civil society has been so striking that we now see them as reinforcing one another. But as we look more closely at civil societies, we find they can grow in ways that undermine democracy. This was the case in Weimar Germany, and it appears that many of the newest democracies are threatened by growing nationalism and religious sectarianism. Many new democracies are only nominally democratic, maintaining veneers of democratic institutions that mask authoritarian realities. While each case has its own logic and history, a political theorist’s responsibility is conceptual: Can we distinguish between civil societies that are good for democracy and those that are not? I argue that we can and must: by conceiving the multiple requirements of democracy and as well as differing associations that might serve these requirements, we can distinguish between civil societies that are good for democracy and those that are not. If we can make these distinctions, we might also understand how to design institutions that encourage and protect those features of civil society that underwrite democracy.
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EU research and technological development programmes
More LessThis article traces and analyses the role of social science research in the European Union’s research and technological development programmes. The divisions of the scientific community along national and disciplinary boundaries have made organizing and mobilizing at the European level difficult. In recent years, however, the contributions of social science to research and to policy have gained increased recognition, attaining substantial importance and visibility within the EU research and technological development framework programmes. Recognition of the potential role of the social sciences and humanities in research and policy at the EU level has rapidly gained momentum with increasingly influential results that are evident in the field of science policy.
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Volumes & issues
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Volume 20 (2021)
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Volume 19 (2020)
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Volume 18 (2019)
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Volume 17 (2018)
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Volume 16 (2017)
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Volume 15 (2016)
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Volume 14 (2015)
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Volume 13 (2014)
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Volume 12 (2012 - 2013)
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Volume 11 (2012)
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Volume 10 (2011)
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Volume 9 (2010)
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Volume 8 (2009)
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Volume 7 (2008)
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Volume 6 (2007 - 2008)
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Volume 5 (2006 - 2007)
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Volume 4 (2005)
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Volume 3 (2004)
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Volume 2 (2003 - 2004)
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Volume 1 (2002 - 2003)