Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 February 2022
Democracy is under attack. Whether from those within its systems who seek to gain at the expense of others, or from without by rival forms of rule. Yet the crises we face as a species demand not only that we recognise the perils of a changing planet, but that we address them together. Democracy may imply an imperfect form of government, but its purported advantages lie in seeking to give voice to all people, political parties and perspectives, in hopes that the common good is served and citizens not only represented, but respected. The challenge of a pandemic, finding nations divided in their responses, underlines the pressing need for a genuine understanding of what democracy can and does deliver. This necessitates a clearer focus on our own roles as citizens – and thereby politicians in our daily lives – and on occupational politicians, as well as the political institutions and influences that shape our experiences of democracy. In opening ‘Psychology of Democracy: Of the people, by the people, for the people’, the editor points to the power of harnessing multidisciplinary and cutting-edge knowledge from psychology, political and allied social sciences. The opening chapter maps out the design and potential impact of the book, examining the psychology ‘of the people’ who are elected, the political institutions and processes created ‘by the people’ and the influences from broader societies that shape the context of democracy ‘for the people’. Its message is clear: the future is ours if we can better harness all human talents.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.