What Democracy Is for

In this provocative book, Stein Ringen argues that the world's democracies-especially the United States and Great Britain-are failing to live up to their ideals. The issues that concern Ringen are ones that should concern us all. They include education, poverty, the lack of democracy in our economic lives, and the need to rejuvenate municipal democracy. The core value of democracy, he contends, is the freedom to live a good life according to one's own choosing. And yet, while the number of democracies worldwide has increased greatly, democracy's freedom is on the decline. What Democracy Is For offers a bold defense of democratic ideals, grounded in real reforms. Book jacket.

Stein Ringen is professor of sociology and social policy at the University of Oxford. His books include Citizens, Families, and Reform and The Possibility of Politics.