Democratic Decline and Democratic Renewal : Political Change in Britain, Australia and New Zealand

While the number of democratic countries continues to expand, democratic practice has contracted, notably in western states where democracy has been longest established. This book examines Britain, Australia and New Zealand in order to explore the origin and trajectory of current political discontent and suggest how this might be remedied.

The story of liberal democracy over the last half century has been a triumphant one in many ways, with the number of democracies increasing from a minority of states to a significant majority. Yet substantial problems afflict democratic states, and while the number of democratic countries has expanded, democratic practice has contracted. This book introduces a novel framework for evaluating the rise and decline of democratic governance. Examining three mature democratic countries – Britain, Australia and New Zealand – the authors discuss patterns of governance from the emergence of mass democracy at the outset of the twentieth century through to its present condition. The shared political cultures and institutional arrangements of the three countries allow the authors to investigate comparatively the dynamics of political evolution and the possibilities for systemic developments and institutional change.