February 2023 MBR The Political Science Shelf

The Political Science Shelf

Has Populism Won?: The War on Liberal Democracy
Daniel Drache, author
Marc D. Froese, author
ECW Press
www.ecwpress.com
9781770417052, $19.95, PB, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Has-Populism-Won-Liberal-Democracy/dp/1770417052

Synopsis: From Trumpian America to Putin's nationalist Russia, and from Poland to the Philippines, rapid change and rising inequality have fueled a retreat into tribalist nationalism fed by a fear of being left behind.

Populist and authoritarian leaders reach into this fear, using it as a lever to power with empty promises of looking out for the little person and promising a return to national greatness. This is happening in countries spread across the globe and the political spectrum, arising in the right and the left alike, and recently brought into harsh relief against Putin's brutal invasion of Ukraine. So why are we so susceptible to this pernicious political style at this moment? How did we get here? And more importantly, will we get back to more even-handed governments?

Filled with original research, political scientists, with the publication of "Has Populism Won?: The War on Liberal Democracy", co-authors Daniel Drache and Marc Froese collaboratively present an insightful, chilling and compelling analysis of the rise of populism, and reveal what it will take to douse the flames.

Critique: "Has Populism Won?: The War on Liberal Democracy" is essential reading for those with concern about the proliferating encroachments on democratic freedoms and the rule of law in the United States and around the world. Informative enhanced with the inclusion of an Introduction (A Warning), two Appendices, a two page bibliography of Further Readings, and a twelve page Index, "Has Populism Won?: The War on Liberal Democracy" is unreservedly recommended as a core addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Contemporary Political Science collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, political activists, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Has Populism Won?: The War on Liberal Democracy" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.95).

Editorial Note #1: Daniel Drache (https://danieldrache.com) is Professor Emeritus of Political Science and a Senior Research Fellow at the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies at York University in Toronto. He is also the author of over twenty books on social policy and international affairs.

Editorial Note #2: Marc D. Froese (https://www.burmanu.ca/directory/marc-froese) is the Professor of Political Science and the Founding Director of the International Studies Program at Burman University in Alberta. He is also the author of three books and dozens of articles on international trade and political economy.

The Seven Democratic Virtues
Christopher Beem
Penn State University Press
820 North University Drive, University Park, PA 16802-1003
www.psupress.org
9780271093949, $29.95, HC, 236pp

https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Democratic-Virtues-Tribalism-Democracy/dp/0271093943

Synopsis: The insurrection of January 6, 2021, demonstrated conclusively that tribalism in the United States has become dangerous. The "other side" is no longer viewed as a well-intentioned opponent but as an existential threat. If we don't change course, the survival of American democracy is far from assured.

With the publication of "The Seven Democratic Virtues: What You Can Do to Overcome Tribalism and Save Our Democracy", Christopher Beem outlines specific steps that average citizens can take to back the nation away from the brink.

Instead of looking to political leaders, institutions, or policy for solutions to extreme partisanship, Christopher Beem argues that concerned citizens can and must take up the cause. He spells out seven civic practices we can all follow that will help us work against our antidemocratic tendencies and reorient the nation toward the "more perfect union" of our Founders. Beem's road map to restore our democracy draws on thinkers from Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas to James Madison, Hannah Arendt, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Empathetic and eminently reasonable, "The Seven Democratic Virtues" presents practical advice for what each of us can do to change the political discourse and save our democracy. This is necessary reading for our politics today -- and in the future.

Critique: A timely contribution to our national discourse with respect of the great chasm of disinformation created divisions currently threatening the continuation of such essential pillars of a democratic society as the peaceful transfer of power based on free and fair elections, "The Seven Democratic Virtues: What You Can Do to Overcome Tribalism and Save Our Democracy" is an essential and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Contemporary Political Science collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. Deserving of as wide a readership as possible, it should be noted for students, academia, political activists, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Seven Democratic Virtues: What You Can Do to Overcome Tribalism and Save Our Democracy" can be a substantial tool in preserving our democracy in the face of insurrectionists -- including those still serving in the Federal Congress and in state governments at the present time.

Editorial Note: Christopher Beem (https://democracy.psu.edu/people/cxb518) is Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy, Associate Research Professor of Political Science, and Affiliate Faculty in the Rock Ethics Institute at Penn State. He is also the author or co-editor of five books, including The Necessity of Politics: Reclaiming American Public Life and Democratic Humility: Reinhold Niebuhr, Neuroscience, and America's Political Crisis. Further, he is a co-host of the Democracy Works podcast and a frequent contributor to The Conversation.

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