In Reconstructing Democracy: How Citizens are Building from the Ground Up, Charles Taylor, Patricia Nanz and Madeleine Beaubien Taylor respond to the lack of public faith in the institutions of representative democracy by calling for a ‘bottom-up’ reconstruction of democracy at the local level, drawing on examples of local participatory democracy in action. While the book explores some inspiring initiatives that can have real and lasting benefits for communities and the capacity to solve local problems, Luke Bostian is unconvinced that such programmes alone can address the wider structural forces that jeopardise efforts to reconstruct democracy

Bostian, Luke

English

LSE Research Online

Book	Review:	Reconstructing	Democracy:	HowCitizens	Are	Building	from	the	Ground	Up	by	CharlesTaylor,	Patricia	Nanz	and	Madeleine	Beaubien	TaylorIn	Reconstructing	Democracy:	How	Citizens	are	Building	from	the	Ground	Up,	Charles	Taylor,	PatriciaNanz	and	Madeleine	Beaubien	Taylor	respond	to	the	lack	of	public	faith	in	the	institutions	of	representativedemocracy	by	calling	for	a	‘bottom-up’	reconstruction	of	democracy	at	the	local	level,	drawing	on	examples	of	localparticipatory	democracy	in	action.	While	the	book	explores	some	inspiring	initiatives	that	can	have	real	and	lastingbenefits	for	communities	and	the	capacity	to	solve	local	problems,	Luke	Bostian	is	unconvinced	that	suchprogrammes	alone	can	address	the	wider	structural	forces	that	jeopardise	efforts	to	reconstruct	democracy.	Reconstructing	Democracy:	How	Citizens	are	Building	from	the	Ground	Up.	Charles	Taylor,	Patricia	Nanzand	Madeleine	Beaubien	Taylor.	Harvard	University	Press.	2019.On	25	May	2020,	a	protest	broke	out	in	Minneapolis,	Minnesota,	after	the	killing	of	aBlack	man,	George	Floyd,	by	a	police	officer.	In	the	months	since,	the	uprisinghas	spread	to	dozens	and	then	thousands	of	cities	across	the	United	States	and	aroundthe	world,	many	of	which	were	met	–	as	they	had	been	in	Minneapolis	–	byfurther	police	violence.To	put	it	mildly,	the	people	marching	in	the	streets	do	not	believe	that	the	policerepresent	their	interests,	or	that	the	elected	officials	who	oversee	the	police	will	listen	tocommunity	demands	for	change.	In	that	sense,	they	are	an	especially	dramatic	exampleof	the	lack	of	public	faith	in	the	institutions	of	representative	democracy	that	has	been	asubject	of	interest	for	scholars	since	at	least	the	1970s.	A	recent	entry	to	this	literatureof	concern	is	Charles	Taylor,	Patricia	Nanz	and	Madeleine	Beaubien	Taylor’s	newbook,	Reconstructing	Democracy.Taylor	et	al	are	right	to	be	concerned	about	the	state	of	democratic	institutions,	andpublic	attitudes	towards	them,	in	Europe,	North	America	and	beyond.	While	theirmotivations	and	goals	vary	widely,	groups	as	diverse	as	the	Gilets	Jaunes	in	France(whose	internal	diversity	of	backgrounds	and	ideologies	is	itself	startling);	the	student	protesters	who	erupted	inChile	in	2019	in	outrage	over	a	transportation	fare	hike	and	eventually	demanded	a	new	constitution;	and	the	BlackLives	Matter	movement	in	the	United	States	all	accurately	believe	that	their	ostensibly	democratic	governments	donot	represent	or	respond	equally	to	the	needs	of	all	citizens.	At	the	same	time,	an	anti-democratic	backlash,	in	largepart	a	reactionary	response	to	efforts	towards	racial	equality,	has	helped	sweep	into	power	right-wing	authoritariansin	ostensibly	democratic	countries,	including	Brazil,	Hungary	and	the	US,	and	led	to	historic	electoral	gains	for	far-right	parties	in	Germany,	the	Netherlands	and	elsewhere.The	authors	of	Reconstructing	Democracy	lay	the	fault	for	this	crisis	at	the	feet	of	neoliberalism.	They	argue	thatthe	crisis	of	democracy	has	arisen	because	neoliberalism	has	separated	economic	affairs	from	social	relationshipsand	led	to	the	rise	of	‘managerial	supremacy’	in	the	way	democratic	governments	carry	out	their	business.	This	has,in	turn,	led	to	a	decline	in	the	ability	of	traditional	institutions	to	solve	problems	and	a	large	gap	between	whatpeople	want	government	to	do	and	what	political	elites	think	it	should	do.But	Taylor	et	al’s	diagnosis	stops	short	of	examining	why	neoliberalism	rose	to	the	world-hegemonic	status	it	enjoystoday	or	addressing	the	idea	that	it	might	have	arisen	because	it	serves	the	purposes	of	particular	groups	of	people.As	a	result,	their	neoliberalism,	as	discussed	in	the	book’s	introduction,	is	something	of	a	mysterious,	agency-lessboogeyman.	In	fairness,	this	is	a	slim	volume	and	clearly	not	meant	to	be	a	thorough	academic	interrogation	of	itscore	concepts.	But	given	the	emphasis	they	place	on	neoliberalism	as	the	problem,	the	book	would	have	beenstronger	if	they	had	unpacked	it	further.LSE European Politics and Policy (EUROPP) Blog: Book Review: Reconstructing Democracy: How Citizens Are Building from the Ground Up by CharlesTaylor, Patricia Nanz and Madeleine Beaubien TaylorPage 1 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-08-30Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2020/08/30/book-review-reconstructing-democracy-how-citizens-are-building-from-the-ground-up-by-charles-taylor-patricia-nanz-and-madeleine-beaubien-taylor/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/So	much	for	the	diagnosis.	What	about	the	prescription?	Having	identified	low	faith	in	institutions,	poor	institutionalproblem-solving	capacity	and	a	wide	gap	between	the	public	and	elected	officials,	Taylor	et	al	call	for	a	‘bottom-up’reconstruction	of	democracy	based	on	four	building	blocks:	an	existential	shift	toward	‘empowering	consciousnessof	collective	agency	and	possibility’;	new	inclusive	solidarities	and	trust;	opening	new	alleys	to	creativity,	‘creatingbreakout	innovation’;	and	alignment	of	goals,	knowledge	and	motivation.Quite	rightly,	the	authors	write	about	the	value	of	these	building	blocks	being	not	only	in	their	ability	to	help	peopleachieve	defined	goals,	but	also	to	conceive	and	go	after	future	goals.	What	they	are	talking	about	is	buildingpeople’s	‘capacity	to	aspire’:	their	ability	to	create	and	navigate	a	‘map	of	a	journey	into	the	future’	in	which	theirrights	are	fulfilled	and	they	are	able	to	thrive,	in	the	words	of	the	sociologist	Arjun	Appadurai.	In	the	authors’	view,these	building	blocks	are	to	be	used	first	and	foremost	at	the	local	level,	to	help	communities	work	together	withgovernment	officials	and	the	private	sector	to	define	and	solve	local	problems.The	three	chapters	that	form	the	bulk	of	the	book	are	based	around	examples	of	local	participatory	democracy	inaction,	mostly	from	post-industrial	cities	in	the	US,	Germany	and	Austria	that	had	become	depressed	through	theloss	of	manufacturing	jobs	that	had	formed	the	backbone	of	the	municipal	economy.	All	are	instances	when	citizenshad	to	define	the	problem	to	be	addressed,	not	just	come	up	with	solutions	to	a	given	problem.Some	of	the	examples	are	inspiring.	Chapter	Two	describes	the	redevelopment	of	San	Diego	Market	Creek	Plaza,a	neighbourhood	development	project	in	which	two	local	organisations	formed	paid	outreach	teams	to	create	ashared	vision	and	then	worked	with	residents	to	form	small	committees	that	planned	and	implemented	the	project.Community	members	were	then	able	to	buy	‘shares’	in	the	project	in	a	kind	of	‘public	IPO’.	This	move	to	ensure	thatownership	of	capital	in	a	community	stays	in	the	community	is	commendable	and	remarkable,	and	the	authors	arespot-on	when	they	write	‘for	neighborhood	revitalization	to	be	successful,	residents	must	own	process	and	assets’(my	emphasis).Unfortunately,	the	prescriptions	are	as	much	plagued	by	shallowness	and	lack	of	evidence	as	the	diagnosis.	Littleevidence	is	given	for	the	outcomes	and	impacts	of	these	initiatives	on	people’s	quality	of	life	or	onthe	inclusiveness	of	their	citizenship.	The	authors	contend	that	infrastructure	projects	can	serve	as	a	means	tostrengthen	democratic	participation,	but	readers	are	mostly	left	guessing	at	any	long-	or	even	medium-term	impactson	the	towns	and	cities	where	the	examples	take	place.	They	claim	that	‘institutionalization	of	citizen	participation[…]	is	an	important	step	toward	establishment	of	participatory	democracy’,	but	leave	it	at	that.	While	they	arguethat	participatory	budgeting,	of	the	kind	pioneered	in	Brazil	in	the	1990s,	is	qualitatively	different	from	the	open-ended	initiatives	they	have	in	mind,	to	me	it	seems	to	provide	a	rich	context	in	which	to	consider	the	implications	ofinstitutionalisation.	And	in	fact,	participatory	budgeting	research	shows	that	institutionalisation	of	citizen	participationis	not	a	uniform	process,	nor	is	it	monolithically	successful	or	positive.	For	example,	it	can	lead	to	the	softening	andco-opting	of	radical	movements	that	are	seeking	substantial	changes	to	the	status	quo.On	that	note,	for	a	book	about	democracy,	the	diagnosis	and	prescriptions	are	curiously	apolitical	and	technocratic.The	ongoing	popular	uprisings	against	police	brutality	in	the	US	show	dramatically	that	conflicts	at	the	municipallevel	are	often	deeply	political	fights	about	who	wields	power	over	whom	and	how.	And	the	protests	show	that	thosein	power	do	not	generally	give	it	up	willingly	or	without	a	fight.	But	Reconstructing	Democracy	does	not	address	theradical,	confrontational	activism	that	has	so	often	been	the	driving	force	behind	meaningful	changes	to	democraticprocesses	and	rights,	or	the	systematic	assault	on	government	institutions	that	is	a	defining	feature	ofneoliberalism.	For	all	the	times	the	authors	acknowledge	that	the	initiatives	they	have	in	mind	require	the	willingsupport	of	people	in	power,	they	do	not	explain	why	those	people	should	or	will	render	such	support.Finally,	there	is	the	very	rosiness	of	the	portraits	the	authors	paint.	Not	until	more	than	three-quarters	of	the	waythrough	the	book	are	any	participants	shown	to	express	negative	reactions	to	a	participatory	process.	While	theauthors	do	acknowledge	here	and	there	some	of	the	challenges	to	ensuring	genuine	and	inclusive	participation,they	make	no	reference	to	the	rich	scholarly	literature	on	this	issue.	What	they	are	proposing	–	expert-guided	actionresearch	and	dialogue	with	local	residents	and	government	officials	in	poor	and	deprived	neighbourhoods	–	hasstrong	parallels	with	what	has	been	a	standard	international	development	practice	for	decades,	with	mixed	resultsat	best.LSE European Politics and Policy (EUROPP) Blog: Book Review: Reconstructing Democracy: How Citizens Are Building from the Ground Up by CharlesTaylor, Patricia Nanz and Madeleine Beaubien TaylorPage 2 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-08-30Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2020/08/30/book-review-reconstructing-democracy-how-citizens-are-building-from-the-ground-up-by-charles-taylor-patricia-nanz-and-madeleine-beaubien-taylor/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/The	authors	of	Reconstructing	Democracy	are	not	wrong	that	the	initiatives	they	champion	can	have	real	andlasting	benefits	for	people	and	their	relationship	with	their	governments,	and	on	the	capacity	of	local	governments	toaddress	local	problems.	But	I	have	my	doubts	that	such	programmes	will	be	sufficient	to	make	a	dent	in	the	deepand	large-scale	problems	–	racism;	the	authors’	own	focus,	neoliberalism;	voter	suppression	–	that	threaten	to	cutany	effort	to	reconstruct	democracy	off	at	the	knees.Please	read	our	comments	policy	before	commenting.Note:	This	article	is	provided	by	our	sister	site,	LSE	Review	of	Books.	It	gives	the	views	of	the	author,	not	theposition	of	EUROPP	–	European	Politics	and	Policy	or	the	London	School	of	Economics.	Featured	imagecredit:	Steve	Johnson	CC	BY	2.0	_________________________________About	the	authorLuke	BostianLuke	Bostian	is	a	Master’s	student	in	Social	Development	Practice	at	University	College	London.	Prior	to	beginninghis	graduate	studies,	he	spent	eleven	years	working	in	international	development,	most	recently	as	Director	ofPolicy	and	Partnerships	for	the	Aga	Khan	Foundation,	Pakistan.LSE European Politics and Policy (EUROPP) Blog: Book Review: Reconstructing Democracy: How Citizens Are Building from the Ground Up by CharlesTaylor, Patricia Nanz and Madeleine Beaubien TaylorPage 3 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-08-30Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2020/08/30/book-review-reconstructing-democracy-how-citizens-are-building-from-the-ground-up-by-charles-taylor-patricia-nanz-and-madeleine-beaubien-taylor/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/

Book review: reconstructing democracy: how citizens are building from the ground up by Charles Taylor, Patricia Nanz and Madeleine Beaubien Taylor

Book	Review:	Reconstructing	Democracy:	HowCitizens	Are	Building	from	the	Ground	Up	by	CharlesTaylor,	Patricia	Nanz	and	Madeleine	Beaubien	TaylorIn	Reconstructing	Democracy:	How	Citizens	are	Building	from	the	Ground	Up,	Charles	Taylor,	Patricia	Nanzand	Madeleine	Beaubien	Taylor	respond	to	the	lack	of	public	faith	in	the	institutions	of	representative	democracyby	calling	for	a	‘bottom-up’	reconstruction	of	democracy	at	the	local	level,	drawing	on	examples	of	local	participatorydemocracy	in	action.	While	the	book	explores	some	inspiring	initiatives	that	can	have	real	and	lasting	benefits	forcommunities	and	the	capacity	to	solve	local	problems,	Luke	Bostian	is	unconvinced	that	such	programmes	alonecan	address	the	wider	structural	forces	that	jeopardise	efforts	to	reconstruct	democracy.	Reconstructing	Democracy:	How	Citizens	are	Building	from	the	Ground	Up.	Charles	Taylor,	Patricia	Nanzand	Madeleine	Beaubien	Taylor.	Harvard	University	Press.	2019.On	25	May	2020,	a	protest	broke	out	in	Minneapolis,	Minnesota,	after	the	killing	of	aBlack	man,	George	Floyd,	by	a	police	officer.	In	the	months	since,	the	uprising	hasspread	to	dozens	and	then	thousands	of	cities	across	the	United	States	and	around	theworld,	many	of	which	were	met	–	as	they	had	been	in	Minneapolis	–	by	further	policeviolence.To	put	it	mildly,	the	people	marching	in	the	streets	do	not	believe	that	the	policerepresent	their	interests,	or	that	the	elected	officials	who	oversee	the	police	will	listen	tocommunity	demands	for	change.	In	that	sense,	they	are	an	especially	dramatic	exampleof	the	lack	of	public	faith	in	the	institutions	of	representative	democracy	that	has	been	asubject	of	interest	for	scholars	since	at	least	the	1970s.	A	recent	entry	to	this	literatureof	concern	is	Charles	Taylor,	Patricia	Nanz	and	Madeleine	Beaubien	Taylor’s	new	book,Reconstructing	Democracy.Taylor	et	al	are	right	to	be	concerned	about	the	state	of	democratic	institutions,	andpublic	attitudes	towards	them,	in	Europe,	North	America	and	beyond.	While	theirmotivations	and	goals	vary	widely,	groups	as	diverse	as	the	Gilets	Jaunes	in	France(whose	internal	diversity	of	backgrounds	and	ideologies	is	itself	startling);	the	student	protesters	who	erupted	inChile	in	2019	in	outrage	over	a	transportation	fare	hike	and	eventually	demanded	a	new	constitution;	and	the	BlackLives	Matter	movement	in	the	United	States	all	accurately	believe	that	their	ostensibly	democratic	governments	donot	represent	or	respond	equally	to	the	needs	of	all	citizens.	At	the	same	time,	an	anti-democratic	backlash,	in	largepart	a	reactionary	response	to	efforts	towards	racial	equality,	has	helped	sweep	into	power	right-wing	authoritariansin	ostensibly	democratic	countries,	including	Brazil,	Hungary	and	the	US,	and	led	to	historic	electoral	gains	for	far-right	parties	in	Germany,	the	Netherlands	and	elsewhere.The	authors	of	Reconstructing	Democracy	lay	the	fault	for	this	crisis	at	the	feet	of	neoliberalism.	They	argue	thatthe	crisis	of	democracy	has	arisen	because	neoliberalism	has	separated	economic	affairs	from	social	relationshipsand	led	to	the	rise	of	‘managerial	supremacy’	in	the	way	democratic	governments	carry	out	their	business.	This	has,in	turn,	led	to	a	decline	in	the	ability	of	traditional	institutions	to	solve	problems	and	a	large	gap	between	whatpeople	want	government	to	do	and	what	political	elites	think	it	should	do.But	Taylor	et	al’s	diagnosis	stops	short	of	examining	why	neoliberalism	rose	to	the	world-hegemonic	status	it	enjoystoday	or	addressing	the	idea	that	it	might	have	arisen	because	it	serves	the	purposes	of	particular	groups	of	people.As	a	result,	their	neoliberalism,	as	discussed	in	the	book’s	introduction,	is	something	of	a	mysterious,	agency-lessboogeyman.	In	fairness,	this	is	a	slim	volume	and	clearly	not	meant	to	be	a	thorough	academic	interrogation	of	itscore	concepts.	But	given	the	emphasis	they	place	on	neoliberalism	as	the	problem,	the	book	would	have	beenstronger	if	they	had	unpacked	it	further.LSE Review of Books: Book Review: Reconstructing Democracy: How Citizens Are Building from the Ground Up by Charles Taylor, Patricia Nanz andMadeleine Beaubien TaylorPage 1 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-08-20Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2020/08/20/book-review-reconstructing-democracy-how-citizens-are-building-from-the-ground-up-by-charles-taylor-patricia-nanz-and-madeleine-beaubien-taylor/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/So	much	for	the	diagnosis.	What	about	the	prescription?	Having	identified	low	faith	in	institutions,	poor	institutionalproblem-solving	capacity	and	a	wide	gap	between	the	public	and	elected	officials,	Taylor	et	al	call	for	a	‘bottom-up’reconstruction	of	democracy	based	on	four	building	blocks:	an	existential	shift	toward	‘empowering	consciousnessof	collective	agency	and	possibility’;	new	inclusive	solidarities	and	trust;	opening	new	alleys	to	creativity,	‘creatingbreakout	innovation’;	and	alignment	of	goals,	knowledge	and	motivation.Quite	rightly,	the	authors	write	about	the	value	of	these	building	blocks	being	not	only	in	their	ability	to	help	peopleachieve	defined	goals,	but	also	to	conceive	and	go	after	future	goals.	What	they	are	talking	about	is	buildingpeople’s	‘capacity	to	aspire’:	their	ability	to	create	and	navigate	a	‘map	of	a	journey	into	the	future’	in	which	theirrights	are	fulfilled	and	they	are	able	to	thrive,	in	the	words	of	the	sociologist	Arjun	Appadurai.	In	the	authors’	view,these	building	blocks	are	to	be	used	first	and	foremost	at	the	local	level,	to	help	communities	work	together	withgovernment	officials	and	the	private	sector	to	define	and	solve	local	problems.The	three	chapters	that	form	the	bulk	of	the	book	are	based	around	examples	of	local	participatory	democracy	inaction,	mostly	from	post-industrial	cities	in	the	US,	Germany	and	Austria	that	had	become	depressed	through	theloss	of	manufacturing	jobs	that	had	formed	the	backbone	of	the	municipal	economy.	All	are	instances	when	citizenshad	to	define	the	problem	to	be	addressed,	not	just	come	up	with	solutions	to	a	given	problem.Some	of	the	examples	are	inspiring.	Chapter	Two	describes	the	redevelopment	of	San	Diego	Market	Creek	Plaza,a	neighbourhood	development	project	in	which	two	local	organisations	formed	paid	outreach	teams	to	create	ashared	vision	and	then	worked	with	residents	to	form	small	committees	that	planned	and	implemented	the	project.Community	members	were	then	able	to	buy	‘shares’	in	the	project	in	a	kind	of	‘public	IPO’.	This	move	to	ensure	thatownership	of	capital	in	a	community	stays	in	the	community	is	commendable	and	remarkable,	and	the	authors	arespot-on	when	they	write	‘for	neighborhood	revitalization	to	be	successful,	residents	must	own	process	and	assets’(my	emphasis).LSE Review of Books: Book Review: Reconstructing Democracy: How Citizens Are Building from the Ground Up by Charles Taylor, Patricia Nanz andMadeleine Beaubien TaylorPage 2 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-08-20Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2020/08/20/book-review-reconstructing-democracy-how-citizens-are-building-from-the-ground-up-by-charles-taylor-patricia-nanz-and-madeleine-beaubien-taylor/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/Unfortunately,	the	prescriptions	are	as	much	plagued	by	shallowness	and	lack	of	evidence	as	the	diagnosis.	Littleevidence	is	given	for	the	outcomes	and	impacts	of	these	initiatives	on	people’s	quality	of	life	or	on	the	inclusivenessof	their	citizenship.	The	authors	contend	that	infrastructure	projects	can	serve	as	a	means	to	strengthen	democraticparticipation,	but	readers	are	mostly	left	guessing	at	any	long-	or	even	medium-term	impacts	on	the	towns	andcities	where	the	examples	take	place.	They	claim	that	‘institutionalization	of	citizen	participation	[…]	is	an	importantstep	toward	establishment	of	participatory	democracy’,	but	leave	it	at	that.	While	they	argue	that	participatorybudgeting,	of	the	kind	pioneered	in	Brazil	in	the	1990s,	is	qualitatively	different	from	the	open-ended	initiatives	theyhave	in	mind,	to	me	it	seems	to	provide	a	rich	context	in	which	to	consider	the	implications	of	institutionalisation.And	in	fact,	participatory	budgeting	research	shows	that	institutionalisation	of	citizen	participation	is	not	a	uniformprocess,	nor	is	it	monolithically	successful	or	positive.	For	example,	it	can	lead	to	the	softening	and	co-opting	ofradical	movements	that	are	seeking	substantial	changes	to	the	status	quo.On	that	note,	for	a	book	about	democracy,	the	diagnosis	and	prescriptions	are	curiously	apolitical	and	technocratic.The	ongoing	popular	uprisings	against	police	brutality	in	the	US	show	dramatically	that	conflicts	at	the	municipallevel	are	often	deeply	political	fights	about	who	wields	power	over	whom	and	how.	And	the	protests	show	that	thosein	power	do	not	generally	give	it	up	willingly	or	without	a	fight.	But	Reconstructing	Democracy	does	not	address	theradical,	confrontational	activism	that	has	so	often	been	the	driving	force	behind	meaningful	changes	to	democraticprocesses	and	rights,	or	the	systematic	assault	on	government	institutions	that	is	a	defining	feature	ofneoliberalism.	For	all	the	times	the	authors	acknowledge	that	the	initiatives	they	have	in	mind	require	the	willingsupport	of	people	in	power,	they	do	not	explain	why	those	people	should	or	will	render	such	support.Finally,	there	is	the	very	rosiness	of	the	portraits	the	authors	paint.	Not	until	more	than	three-quarters	of	the	waythrough	the	book	are	any	participants	shown	to	express	negative	reactions	to	a	participatory	process.	While	theauthors	do	acknowledge	here	and	there	some	of	the	challenges	to	ensuring	genuine	and	inclusive	participation,they	make	no	reference	to	the	rich	scholarly	literature	on	this	issue.	What	they	are	proposing	–	expert-guided	actionresearch	and	dialogue	with	local	residents	and	government	officials	in	poor	and	deprived	neighbourhoods	–	hasstrong	parallels	with	what	has	been	a	standard	international	development	practice	for	decades,	with	mixed	resultsat	best.The	authors	of	Reconstructing	Democracy	are	not	wrong	that	the	initiatives	they	champion	can	have	real	andlasting	benefits	for	people	and	their	relationship	with	their	governments,	and	on	the	capacity	of	local	governments	toaddress	local	problems.	But	I	have	my	doubts	that	such	programmes	will	be	sufficient	to	make	a	dent	in	the	deepand	large-scale	problems	–	racism;	the	authors’	own	focus,	neoliberalism;	voter	suppression	–	that	threaten	to	cutany	effort	to	reconstruct	democracy	off	at	the	knees.Note:	This	review	gives	the	views	of	the	author,	and	not	the	position	of	the	LSE	Review	of	Books	blog,	or	of	theLondon	School	of	Economics.Banner	and	Feature	Image	Credit:	(Steve	Johnson	CC	BY	2.0).In-Text	Image	Credit:	Image	by	Anana	Vibe	from	Pixabay.	LSE Review of Books: Book Review: Reconstructing Democracy: How Citizens Are Building from the Ground Up by Charles Taylor, Patricia Nanz andMadeleine Beaubien TaylorPage 3 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-08-20Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2020/08/20/book-review-reconstructing-democracy-how-citizens-are-building-from-the-ground-up-by-charles-taylor-patricia-nanz-and-madeleine-beaubien-taylor/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/

Book	Review:	Reconstructing	Democracy:	HowCitizens	Are	Building	from	the	Ground	Up	by	CharlesTaylor,	Patricia	Nanz	and	Madeleine	Beaubien	TaylorIn	Reconstructing	Democracy:	How	Citizens	are	Building	from	the	Ground	Up,	Charles	Taylor,	Patricia	Nanzand	Madeleine	Beaubien	Taylor	respond	to	the	lack	of	public	faith	in	the	institutions	of	representative	democracyby	calling	for	a	‘bottom-up’	reconstruction	of	democracy	at	the	local	level,	drawing	on	examples	of	local	participatorydemocracy	in	action.	While	the	book	explores	some	inspiring	initiatives	that	can	have	real	and	lasting	benefits	forcommunities	and	the	capacity	to	solve	local	problems,	Luke	Bostian	is	unconvinced	that	such	programmes	alonecan	address	the	wider	structural	forces	that	jeopardise	efforts	to	reconstruct	democracy.	Reconstructing	Democracy:	How	Citizens	are	Building	from	the	Ground	Up.	Charles	Taylor,	Patricia	Nanzand	Madeleine	Beaubien	Taylor.	Harvard	University	Press.	2019.On	25	May	2020,	a	protest	broke	out	in	Minneapolis,	Minnesota,	after	the	killing	of	aBlack	man,	George	Floyd,	by	a	police	officer.	In	the	months	since,	the	uprising	hasspread	to	dozens	and	then	thousands	of	cities	across	the	United	States	and	around	theworld,	many	of	which	were	met	–	as	they	had	been	in	Minneapolis	–	by	further	policeviolence.To	put	it	mildly,	the	people	marching	in	the	streets	do	not	believe	that	the	policerepresent	their	interests,	or	that	the	elected	officials	who	oversee	the	police	will	listen	tocommunity	demands	for	change.	In	that	sense,	they	are	an	especially	dramatic	exampleof	the	lack	of	public	faith	in	the	institutions	of	representative	democracy	that	has	been	asubject	of	interest	for	scholars	since	at	least	the	1970s.	A	recent	entry	to	this	literatureof	concern	is	Charles	Taylor,	Patricia	Nanz	and	Madeleine	Beaubien	Taylor’s	new	book,Reconstructing	Democracy.Taylor	et	al	are	right	to	be	concerned	about	the	state	of	democratic	institutions,	andpublic	attitudes	towards	them,	in	Europe,	North	America	and	beyond.	While	theirmotivations	and	goals	vary	widely,	groups	as	diverse	as	the	Gilets	Jaunes	in	France(whose	internal	diversity	of	backgrounds	and	ideologies	is	itself	startling);	the	student	protesters	who	erupted	inChile	in	2019	in	outrage	over	a	transportation	fare	hike	and	eventually	demanded	a	new	constitution;	and	the	BlackLives	Matter	movement	in	the	United	States	all	accurately	believe	that	their	ostensibly	democratic	governments	donot	represent	or	respond	equally	to	the	needs	of	all	citizens.	At	the	same	time,	an	anti-democratic	backlash,	in	largepart	a	reactionary	response	to	efforts	towards	racial	equality,	has	helped	sweep	into	power	right-wing	authoritariansin	ostensibly	democratic	countries,	including	Brazil,	Hungary	and	the	US,	and	led	to	historic	electoral	gains	for	far-right	parties	in	Germany,	the	Netherlands	and	elsewhere.The	authors	of	Reconstructing	Democracy	lay	the	fault	for	this	crisis	at	the	feet	of	neoliberalism.	They	argue	thatthe	crisis	of	democracy	has	arisen	because	neoliberalism	has	separated	economic	affairs	from	social	relationshipsand	led	to	the	rise	of	‘managerial	supremacy’	in	the	way	democratic	governments	carry	out	their	business.	This	has,in	turn,	led	to	a	decline	in	the	ability	of	traditional	institutions	to	solve	problems	and	a	large	gap	between	whatpeople	want	government	to	do	and	what	political	elites	think	it	should	do.But	Taylor	et	al’s	diagnosis	stops	short	of	examining	why	neoliberalism	rose	to	the	world-hegemonic	status	it	enjoystoday	or	addressing	the	idea	that	it	might	have	arisen	because	it	serves	the	purposes	of	particular	groups	of	people.As	a	result,	their	neoliberalism,	as	discussed	in	the	book’s	introduction,	is	something	of	a	mysterious,	agency-lessboogeyman.	In	fairness,	this	is	a	slim	volume	and	clearly	not	meant	to	be	a	thorough	academic	interrogation	of	itscore	concepts.	But	given	the	emphasis	they	place	on	neoliberalism	as	the	problem,	the	book	would	have	beenstronger	if	they	had	unpacked	it	further.USApp – American Politics and Policy Blog: Book Review: Reconstructing Democracy: How Citizens Are Building from the Ground Up by Charles Taylor,Patricia Nanz and Madeleine Beaubien TaylorPage 1 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-08-23Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2020/08/23/book-review-reconstructing-democracy-how-citizens-are-building-from-the-ground-up-by-charles-taylor-patricia-nanz-and-madeleine-beaubien-taylor/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/So	much	for	the	diagnosis.	What	about	the	prescription?	Having	identified	low	faith	in	institutions,	poor	institutionalproblem-solving	capacity	and	a	wide	gap	between	the	public	and	elected	officials,	Taylor	et	al	call	for	a	‘bottom-up’reconstruction	of	democracy	based	on	four	building	blocks:	an	existential	shift	toward	‘empowering	consciousnessof	collective	agency	and	possibility’;	new	inclusive	solidarities	and	trust;	opening	new	alleys	to	creativity,	‘creatingbreakout	innovation’;	and	alignment	of	goals,	knowledge	and	motivation.Quite	rightly,	the	authors	write	about	the	value	of	these	building	blocks	being	not	only	in	their	ability	to	help	peopleachieve	defined	goals,	but	also	to	conceive	and	go	after	future	goals.	What	they	are	talking	about	is	buildingpeople’s	‘capacity	to	aspire’:	their	ability	to	create	and	navigate	a	‘map	of	a	journey	into	the	future’	in	which	theirrights	are	fulfilled	and	they	are	able	to	thrive,	in	the	words	of	the	sociologist	Arjun	Appadurai.	In	the	authors’	view,these	building	blocks	are	to	be	used	first	and	foremost	at	the	local	level,	to	help	communities	work	together	withgovernment	officials	and	the	private	sector	to	define	and	solve	local	problems.The	three	chapters	that	form	the	bulk	of	the	book	are	based	around	examples	of	local	participatory	democracy	inaction,	mostly	from	post-industrial	cities	in	the	US,	Germany	and	Austria	that	had	become	depressed	through	theloss	of	manufacturing	jobs	that	had	formed	the	backbone	of	the	municipal	economy.	All	are	instances	when	citizenshad	to	define	the	problem	to	be	addressed,	not	just	come	up	with	solutions	to	a	given	problem.Some	of	the	examples	are	inspiring.	Chapter	Two	describes	the	redevelopment	of	San	Diego	Market	Creek	Plaza,a	neighbourhood	development	project	in	which	two	local	organisations	formed	paid	outreach	teams	to	create	ashared	vision	and	then	worked	with	residents	to	form	small	committees	that	planned	and	implemented	the	project.Community	members	were	then	able	to	buy	‘shares’	in	the	project	in	a	kind	of	‘public	IPO’.	This	move	to	ensure	thatownership	of	capital	in	a	community	stays	in	the	community	is	commendable	and	remarkable,	and	the	authors	arespot-on	when	they	write	‘for	neighborhood	revitalization	to	be	successful,	residents	must	own	process	and	assets’(my	emphasis).USApp – American Politics and Policy Blog: Book Review: Reconstructing Democracy: How Citizens Are Building from the Ground Up by Charles Taylor,Patricia Nanz and Madeleine Beaubien TaylorPage 2 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-08-23Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2020/08/23/book-review-reconstructing-democracy-how-citizens-are-building-from-the-ground-up-by-charles-taylor-patricia-nanz-and-madeleine-beaubien-taylor/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/Unfortunately,	the	prescriptions	are	as	much	plagued	by	shallowness	and	lack	of	evidence	as	the	diagnosis.	Littleevidence	is	given	for	the	outcomes	and	impacts	of	these	initiatives	on	people’s	quality	of	life	or	on	the	inclusivenessof	their	citizenship.	The	authors	contend	that	infrastructure	projects	can	serve	as	a	means	to	strengthen	democraticparticipation,	but	readers	are	mostly	left	guessing	at	any	long-	or	even	medium-term	impacts	on	the	towns	andcities	where	the	examples	take	place.	They	claim	that	‘institutionalization	of	citizen	participation	[…]	is	an	importantstep	toward	establishment	of	participatory	democracy’,	but	leave	it	at	that.	While	they	argue	that	participatorybudgeting,	of	the	kind	pioneered	in	Brazil	in	the	1990s,	is	qualitatively	different	from	the	open-ended	initiatives	theyhave	in	mind,	to	me	it	seems	to	provide	a	rich	context	in	which	to	consider	the	implications	of	institutionalisation.And	in	fact,	participatory	budgeting	research	shows	that	institutionalisation	of	citizen	participation	is	not	a	uniformprocess,	nor	is	it	monolithically	successful	or	positive.	For	example,	it	can	lead	to	the	softening	and	co-opting	ofradical	movements	that	are	seeking	substantial	changes	to	the	status	quo.On	that	note,	for	a	book	about	democracy,	the	diagnosis	and	prescriptions	are	curiously	apolitical	and	technocratic.The	ongoing	popular	uprisings	against	police	brutality	in	the	US	show	dramatically	that	conflicts	at	the	municipallevel	are	often	deeply	political	fights	about	who	wields	power	over	whom	and	how.	And	the	protests	show	that	thosein	power	do	not	generally	give	it	up	willingly	or	without	a	fight.	But	Reconstructing	Democracy	does	not	address	theradical,	confrontational	activism	that	has	so	often	been	the	driving	force	behind	meaningful	changes	to	democraticprocesses	and	rights,	or	the	systematic	assault	on	government	institutions	that	is	a	defining	feature	ofneoliberalism.	For	all	the	times	the	authors	acknowledge	that	the	initiatives	they	have	in	mind	require	the	willingsupport	of	people	in	power,	they	do	not	explain	why	those	people	should	or	will	render	such	support.Finally,	there	is	the	very	rosiness	of	the	portraits	the	authors	paint.	Not	until	more	than	three-quarters	of	the	waythrough	the	book	are	any	participants	shown	to	express	negative	reactions	to	a	participatory	process.	While	theauthors	do	acknowledge	here	and	there	some	of	the	challenges	to	ensuring	genuine	and	inclusive	participation,they	make	no	reference	to	the	rich	scholarly	literature	on	this	issue.	What	they	are	proposing	–	expert-guided	actionresearch	and	dialogue	with	local	residents	and	government	officials	in	poor	and	deprived	neighbourhoods	–	hasstrong	parallels	with	what	has	been	a	standard	international	development	practice	for	decades,	with	mixed	resultsat	best.The	authors	of	Reconstructing	Democracy	are	not	wrong	that	the	initiatives	they	champion	can	have	real	andlasting	benefits	for	people	and	their	relationship	with	their	governments,	and	on	the	capacity	of	local	governments	toaddress	local	problems.	But	I	have	my	doubts	that	such	programmes	will	be	sufficient	to	make	a	dent	in	the	deepand	large-scale	problems	–	racism;	the	authors’	own	focus,	neoliberalism;	voter	suppression	–	that	threaten	to	cutany	effort	to	reconstruct	democracy	off	at	the	knees.This	review	originally	appeared	at	the	LSE	Review	of	Books.Banner	and	Feature	Image	Credit:	(Steve	Johnson	CC	BY	2.0).Please	read	our	comments	policy	before	commenting.Note:	This	article	gives	the	views	of	the	authors,	and	not	the	position	of	USAPP–	American	Politics	and	Policy,	norof	the	London	School	of	Economics.Shortened	URL	for	this	post:	https://bit.ly/3jd3fkJAbout	the	reviewerLuke	Bostian	–	University	College	LondonLuke	Bostian	is	a	master’s	student	in	Social	Development	Practice	at	University	College	London.	Prior	to	beginninghis	graduate	studies,	he	spent	eleven	years	working	in	international	development,	most	recently	as	Director	ofPolicy	and	Partnerships	for	the	Aga	Khan	Foundation,	Pakistan.USApp – American Politics and Policy Blog: Book Review: Reconstructing Democracy: How Citizens Are Building from the Ground Up by Charles Taylor,Patricia Nanz and Madeleine Beaubien TaylorPage 3 of 3		Date originally posted: 2020-08-23Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2020/08/23/book-review-reconstructing-democracy-how-citizens-are-building-from-the-ground-up-by-charles-taylor-patricia-nanz-and-madeleine-beaubien-taylor/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/

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Book review: reconstructing democracy: how citizens are building from the ground up by Charles Taylor, Patricia Nanz and Madeleine Beaubien Taylor

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