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Benjamin Barber is one of America's preeminent political theorists. He has been a significant voice in the continuing debate about the nature and role of democracy in the contemporary world. A Passion for Democracy collects twenty of his most important writings on American democracy. Together they refine his distinctive position in democratic theory. Barber's conception of "strong democracy" contrasts with traditional concepts of "liberal democracy," especially in its emphasis on citizen participation in central issues of public debate. These essays critique the "thin representation" of liberal democracy and buttress the arguments presented in Barber's twelve books, most recently in his well-received Jihad vs. McWorld: How Globalism and Tribalism Are Re-shaping the World. In these pieces, Barber argues for participatory democracy without dependence on abstract metaphysical foundations, and he stresses the relationship among democracy and civil society, civic education, and culture. A Passion for Democracy is divided into four sections. In the first, "American Theory: Democracy, Liberalism, and Rights," Barber addresses issues of ongoing relevance to today's debates about the roots of participatory democracy, including individualism vs. community, the importance of consent, and the irrelevance of Marxism. Essays in the second section, "American Practice: Leadership, Citizenship, and Censorship" provide a "strong democracy" critique of American democratic practice. "Education for Democracy: Civic Education, Service, and Citizenship" applies Barber's theories to three related topics and includes his much-discussed essay "America Skips School." The final section, "Democracy and Technology: Endless Frontier or End of Democracy?" provides glimpses into a future that technology alone cannot secure for democracy. In his preface, Barber writes: "In these essays . I have been hard on my country. Like most ardent democrats, I want more for it than it has achieved, despite the fact that it has achieved more than most people have dared to want." This wide-ranging collection displays not only his passion for democracy, but also his unique perspective on issues of abiding importance for the democratic process

A pointed argument that cities-not nation-states-can and must take the lead in fighting climate change. Climate change is the most urgent challenge we face in an interdependent world where independent nations have grown increasingly unable to cooperate effectively, even on the urgent issue of sustainability. Can cities do better? Benjamin R. Barber argues that with more than half the world's population, 80 percent of both its GDP and its greenhouse gas emissions, and a common will to cooperate, they can. In this compelling sequel to If Mayors Ruled the World, Barber assesses both broad principles and specific strategies like fracking bans, walkable cities, above-ground mining of precious resources, energy and heating drawn from garbage incineration, downtown wind turbines, and skyscrapers built from wood. He shows how cities working together on climate change can find common measures by which to evaluate the radically different policies they pursue. This is a book for a world in which combating climate change is about nothing less than cities' survival

A pointed argument that cities-not nation-states-can and must take the lead in fighting climate change. Climate change is the most urgent challenge we face in an interdependent world where independent nations have grown increasingly unable to cooperate effectively, even on the urgent issue of sustainability. Can cities do better? Benjamin R. Barber argues that with more than half the world's population, 80 percent of both its GDP and its greenhouse gas emissions, and a common will to cooperate, they can. In this compelling sequel to If Mayors Ruled the World, Barber assesses both broad principles and specific strategies like fracking bans, walkable cities, above-ground mining of precious resources, energy and heating drawn from garbage incineration, downtown wind turbines, and skyscrapers built from wood. He shows how cities working together on climate change can find common measures by which to evaluate the radically different policies they pursue. This is a book for a world in which combating climate change is about nothing less than cities' survival.

Switzerland today is faced with a profound dilemma-its village life is dying, a casualty of the collision between communal norms and the need for national survival in an industrial, urbanizing world. Benjamin Barber traces the origins and evolution of communal liberty in the group of alpine villages that make up modern Canton Graubunden, and recreates their poignant thousand-year struggle to maintain this tradition in the face of a hostile environment, hierarchical feudal institutions, and European power polities. Originally published in 1974. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest pr

Cover -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- I. WHY CITIES SHOULD GOVERN GLOBALLY -- CHAPTER 1. IF MAYORS RULED THE WORLD: Why They Should and How They Already Do -- Profile 1. Mayor of the World: MICHAEL BLOOMBERG OF NEW YORK -- CHAPTER 2. THE LAND OF LOST CONTENT: Virtue and Vice in the Life of the City -- Profile 2. The Incorruptible as Artist: LEOLUCA ORLANDO OF PALERMO -- CHAPTER 3. THE CITY AND DEMOCRACY: From Independent Polis to Interdependent Cosmopolis -- Profile 3. The Efficient Jester: BORIS JOHNSON OF LONDON -- CHAPTER 4. MAYORS RULE!: Is This What Democracy Looks Like? -- Profile 4. Governing in Partnership: WOLFGANG SCHUSTER OF STUTTGART -- CHAPTER 5. INTERDEPENDENT CITIES: Local Nodes and Global Synapses -- Profile 5. The Founder as President and the President as Mayor: LEE KUAN YEW AND TONY TAN OF THE CITY-STATE OF SINGAPORE -- CHAPTER 6. CITIES WITHOUT SOVEREIGNTY: The Uses of Powerlessness -- Profile 6. The (Not Quite) Indestructible: YURY LUZHKOV OF MOSCOW -- II. HOW IT CAN BE DONE -- CHAPTER 7. "PLANET OF SLUMS": The Challenge of Urban Inequality -- Profile 7. Megacity Headaches: AYODELE ADEWALE OF LAGOS -- CHAPTER 8. CITY, CURE THYSELF!: Mitigating Inequality -- Profile 8. Her Honor the Mayor: SHEILA DIKSHIT OF DELHI -- CHAPTER 9. SMART CITIES IN A VIRTUAL WORLD: Linking Cities with Digital Technology -- Profile 9. The Peacemakers: TEDDY KOLLEK OF JERUSALEM AND QADOURA MOUSSA OF JENIN -- CHAPTER 10. CULTURAL CITIES IN A MULTICULTURAL WORLD: The Arts of Interdependence -- Profile 10. Civic Comedy and the Art of Citizenship: ANTANAS MOCKUS OF BOGOTÁ -- CHAPTER 11. CITIZENS WITHOUT BORDERS: Glocal Civil Society and Confederalism -- Profile 11. The Glocal Community Organizer: PARK WON-SOON OF SEOUL -- CHAPTER 12. A GLOBAL PARLIAMENT OF MAYORS: Bottom-up Democracy and the Road to Interdependence -- Notes -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D.

"In the face of the most perilous challenges of our time--climate change, terrorism, poverty, and trafficking of drugs, guns, and people--the nations of the world seem paralyzed. The problems are too big for governments to deal with. Benjamin Barber contends that cities, and the mayors who run them, can do and are doing a better job than nations. He cites the unique qualities cities worldwide share: pragmatism, civic trust, participation, indifference to borders and sovereignty, and a democratic penchant for networking, creativity, innovation, and cooperation. He demonstrates how city mayors, singly and jointly, are responding to transnational problems more effectively than nation-states mired in ideological infighting and sovereign rivalries. The book features profiles of a dozen mayors around the world, making a persuasive case that the city is democracy's best hope in a globalizing world, and that great mayors are already proving that this is so"--