Imperfect Democracies: The Rise of Popular Protest and Democratic Dissent

The book re-examines the meaning and evolution of democracy, and the popular backlash confronting contemporary democracies. The authors argue that the rising popular dissent, which has been seized upon by populist parties, stems from a fundamental misunderstanding about the essence of democracy. The authors begin by pointing out that all democracies are a result of a historical ‘bricolage’, in which various components have been integrated into political systems to adapt to the exigencies of the time. With the passage of time, these ad-hoc components have become mainstays in many democratic systems, despite being anti-democratic in the true sense of the word. As a result, liberalism is at stake. Many political systems are considered ‘undemocratic’ as they tend to display illiberal traits. However, one should remember that the reforms inspired by liberalism – from the system of checks and balances to independent authorities and constitutional courts – were principally motivated by the aim to limit the excesses of the ‘will of the people’. Today, democracies are marked by periodic crises, weakening representative institutions, and the usurpation of the ‘political’ by non-political institutions. Governance has replaced governments, and for most citizens, elections do not matter; or at least it seems that a growing number of citizens are displaying feelings of apathy or resentment towards the political process. Populism is a radical by-product of visceral popular anger which has not found the appropriate channels to convey its political demands and aspirations for change.

Yves Mény has been President of the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. He is a graduate in Law and obtained his PhD in Political Science in 1973. His career has taken him worldwide and he has been a Visiting Professor at many universities including New York, Seattle, Mexico, Paris, Madrid, Rome and Bologna. In 1993 he was appointed Director of the newly-founded interdisciplinary Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute in Florence Professor Mény has been a member of numerous editorial committees, including Journal of Common Market Studies, South European Society and Politics and of the Journal of Public Policy, Stato e Mercato, and Administration and Society. He sits on many research committees, including the Review Panel for the Swiss National Science Foundation. He is a member of the Bureau of Political Advisers, set up by the President of the European Commission. He was Chairman of Expert Group on Foundations and Research and Development, European Commission and in 2000–2003 he was Chairman of the Executive Committee of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR). In 1999–2001 he was a member of the Conseil National d'Evaluation des Politiques Publiques and has served on the Piano Strutturale Board of Florence, a guiding committee for the structure and development of the city. His main areas of expertise are comparative politics, public policy, European Union affairs, and political and administrative institutions. His recent major publications include Challenges to Consensual Politics. Democracy, Identity, and Populist Protest in the Alpine Region (co-edited with Daniele Caramani), Brussels, P.I.E. Peter Lang; Crisi e Futuro della Democrazia. Per una terza rivoluzione democratica (based on inverviews by Renzo Cassigoli), Firenze, Passigli Editore; Democracies and The Populist Challenge (co-edited with Yves Surel), London, Palgrave; L’Europa: tra utopia e realtà―una Costituzione per l’Unione, based on interviews by Renzo Cassigoli, Passigli Editore, Firenze; Par le peuple, pour le peuple. Le populisme et les démocraties (co-authored with Yves Surel), Paris ; La Construction d’un Parlement : 50 ans d’Histoire du Parlement européen 1958-2008 (à paraître mars 2009).