Democracy at Work
Pathways to Well-Being in Brazil

Demonstrates how specific dimensions of democracy - participation, citizenship rights, and an inclusionary state - enhance human development and well-being.

Brian Wampler (Author), Natasha Borges Sugiyama (Author), Michael Touchton (Author)

9781108493147, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 28 November 2019

370 pages, 4 b/w illus. 47 tables
23.5 x 15.6 x 2.4 cm, 0.64 kg

'Wampler, Sugiyama, and Touchton's exciting book Democracy at Work promises a deep dive into the black box of democracy with all of its 'messy, contested, and time-consuming features' … Democracy at Work is sure to become essential reading for any student of participatory democracy and developmental studies, as well as anyone seeking to understand the micro-level pathways that cultivate well-being beyond the broad stroke of economic growth and regime type.' Maggie Shum, The Developing Economies

One of the greatest challenges in the twenty-first century is to address large, deep, and historic deficits in human development. Democracy at Work explores a crucial question: how does democracy, with all of its messy, contested, and, time-consuming features, advance well-being and improve citizens' lives? Professors Brian Wampler, Natasha Borges Sugiyama, and Michael Touchton argue that differences in the local robustness of three democratic pathways - participatory institutions, rights-based social programs, and inclusive state capacity - best explain the variation in how democratic governments improve well-being. Using novel data from Brazil and innovative analytic techniques, the authors show that participatory institutions permit citizens to express voice and exercise vote, inclusive social programs promote citizenship rights and access to public resources, and more capable local states use public resources according to democratic principles of rights protections and equal access. The analysis uncovers how democracy works to advance capabilities related to poverty, health, women's empowerment, and education.

Introduction
1. Democracy at work
2. Building pathways for change
3. Research design, methods, and variables
4. Reducing poverty: broadening access to income
5. Improving health: saving lives
6. Empowering women: saving mothers and enhancing opportunities
7. Educating society: promoting public education and learning
8. Pathways at work: lessons from Brazil's poor Northeast
Conclusion: how democracy improves well-being.

Subject Areas: Development economics & emerging economies [KCM], Regional government [JPR], Comparative politics [JPB], Politics & government [JP], Sociology [JHB]