Democratic Deficit
Critical Citizens Revisited

This book examines the reasons behind the democratic deficit and analyzes the consequences for active citizenship, for governance and, ultimately, for democratization.

Pippa Norris (Author)

9780521127448, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 21 February 2011

350 pages, 37 b/w illus. 36 tables
23.4 x 15.6 x 2 cm, 0.54 kg

“This book is the first monograph offering worldwide comparison of political support for democracy since David Easton’s work 50 years ago. Pippa Norris offers a summation of theoretical, methodological, and empirical scholarly debate on the concept of ‘political support for democracy,’ and of ‘critical citizens’ in democratic regimes. This impressive comparative study covers the Third Wave of Democratisation and examines North America, South America, Western Europe, Northern Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, and Asia. Norris develops and tests a new theory of ‘critical citizens and the democratic deficit,’ which integrates citizens, media, and governments as core elements of support for political systems. She also expands the congruence theory, which explains the relationship between demand for and supply of democracy, by introducing information and media as third theoretical element. The important debate about the nature and significance of ‘political support for democracy’ and the role of ‘critical citizens,’ as well as the structure and future of the so-called ‘democratic deficit,’ culminates in Norris’s work. This book will become a classic in political science, political sociology, and mass communication research.”
—Christian W. Haerpfer, University of Aberdeen

Many fear that democracies are suffering from a legitimacy crisis. This book focuses on 'democratic deficits', reflecting how far the perceived democratic performance of any state diverges from public expectations. Pippa Norris examines the symptoms by comparing system support in more than fifty societies worldwide, challenging the pervasive claim that most established democracies have experienced a steadily rising tide of political disaffection during the third-wave era. The book diagnoses the reasons behind the democratic deficit, including demand (rising public aspirations for democracy), information (negative news about government) and supply (the performance and structure of democratic regimes). Finally, Norris examines the consequences for active citizenship, for governance and, ultimately, for democratization. This book provides fresh insights into major issues at the heart of comparative politics, public opinion, political culture, political behavior, democratic governance, political psychology, political communications, public policymaking, comparative sociology, cross-national survey analysis and the dynamics of the democratization process.

Part I. Introduction: 1. Democratic hopes and fears
2. The conceptual framework
3. Evidence and methods
Part II. Symptoms: 4. Trends in the US and Western Europe
5. Comparing political support around the world
6. Trends in democratic deficits
Part III. Diagnosis: 7. Rising aspirations
8. Democratic knowledge
9. Negative news
10. Failing performance
Part IV. Prognosis: 11. Consequences for citizenship, governance, and democratization
12. Conclusions and implications.

Subject Areas: Political structures: democracy [JPHV], Comparative politics [JPB], Media studies [JFD]