Popular Democracy The Paradox of Participation

"Projects for citizen participation are reshaping discussions about democracy and actual government practices around the world. Yet the role of experts and bureaucracies has grown at the same time. Gianpaolo Baiocchi and Ernesto Ganuza make sense of this seeming paradox and identify the possibilities of a rapidly changing political era."-Craig Calhoun, Centennial Professor, London School of Economics "Popular Democracy is a masterpiece! If you're tearing your hair out over the crisis of democracy, this book is for you. Let Gianpaolo Baiocchi and Ernesto Ganuza-with the precision of scientists and artistry of storytellers-lead you deeply into the emergent, fascinating world of face-to-face democracy, particularly 'participatory budgeting.' The nuances and paradoxes of Popular Democracy intrigue rather than baffle, so this extraordinary book can encourage us to stop the wringing of hands and instead dig them deeply into the good dirt of democracy."-Frances Moore Lappé, author of Diet for a Small Planet and Democracy's Edge "Popular Democracy makes an eminent and critical contribution to the scholarship about one of the most interesting political experiments of our time, extending ethnographic work to acquire historical depth and global scope. Theoretically deft and methodologically innovative, it lifts the discussion to a new level and is a good read to boot."-Andreas Glaeser, University of Chicago "This book is an excellent example of careful research that engagingly narrates the blow-by-blow of everyday politics while analyzing larger theoretical issues....Baiocchi and Ganuza have the ability to express complex ideas about participation in an elegant and intelligible manner. For that reason, I would even recommend this book to advanced undergraduate students who are interested in recent political changes. These strengths and the importance of the analysis make the book a significant contribution to political sociology."-Andrew Buck, American Journal of Sociology