Democracy’s Second Act: Why Politics Needs the Public
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| Authors: | Peter MacLeod, Richard Johnson |
| ISBN: | 9789376545223 |
| Binding: | Hardcover |
| Pages: | 310 |
| Size: | 16 x 24 cm |
| FORTHCOMING |
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Democracy isn’t broken. It’s stuck. Around the world, people are growing angry and polarized, not because they’ve stopped caring but because democracy has stopped evolving. The result isn’t apathy. It is a rising sense of political futility.In Democracy’s Second Act, Peter MacLeod and Richard Johnson argue that the first act of democracy – anchored in voting rights and representative government – achieved extraordinary gains. Free elections, near-universal suffrage, and the peaceful transfer of power reshaped societies and expanded human freedom. But these achievements represent the promise of democracy, not its completion.Their book offers a hopeful, clear-eyed vision for what comes next. Drawing on groundbreaking citizens’ assemblies in Ireland, Canada, and France – as well as democratic innovations from more than a dozen countries – MacLeod and Johnson show how we can build on the legacy of the first act by creating new institutions that tap into the talents, judgment, and capabilities of ordinary people. They make the case that the public isn’t a risk to be managed, but a powerful resource ready to be harnessed and that the future depends on giving citizens real responsibility, not just a periodic vote.Smart, story-driven, and deeply grounded in political theory and practice, Democracy’s Second Act is for changemakers ready to move beyond cynicism and rebuild democracy for a new era.
Peter MacLeod
Peter MacLeod is the founder and principal of MASS LBP, where for nearly two decades he has been at the forefront of democratic innovation championing a new style of politics rooted in deliberation and shared power. A trusted advisor to governments at all levels, he is one of Canada’s leading voices on democracy, civic trust, and active citizenship.
Richard Johnson
Richard Johnson is a former journalist and current policy director at MASS LBP. His writing has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, The Walrus, Reader’s Digest, This Magazine, The New Quarterly, and many others. A former Fellow in Literary Journalism at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, he was also a longtime writer for the award-winning podcast Trailblazers, with Walter Isaacson.
Editorial Reviews
 | “Democracy’s Second Act is a clarion call for what the public can do when trusted to lead. In this timely and elegant book, Peter MacLeod and Richard Johnson dispel myths and move beyond diagnosis to offer tested citizen-centric solutions, charting a compelling path forward for anyone interested in reviving our democracy. A must read!”
—Marjan Ehsassi, Executive Director, Federation for Innovation in Democracy – North America, and author of Activated Citizenship: The Transformative Power of Citizens’ Assemblies
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| “I love everything about this book. It’s not boring for a single moment, even though the topic is serious. It’s easily read, even though it deals with complex problems. It takes us hundreds – even thousands – of years back in history, but the focus is 100% on the future. The future of democracy. Yours, mine, our democracy. Can we imagine a society where each of us has a say and responsibility in the decisions that affect and shape our daily life? In our communities, workplaces, education, cultural life, and all the way into the city councils and national parliaments. Peter MacLeod and Richard Johnson can. What a vision. What a book.”
—Uffe Elbæk, former Minister of Culture, Party Leader, and MP of the Danish Parliament
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| “In this brilliant, beautifully written book, Peter MacLeod and Richard Johnson draw on an extraordinary wealth of practical experience to provide both an incisive analysis of why the world’s democracies are in trouble and clear, actionable advice on how they can be revitalized. Faced with social and economic turbulence, collapsing trust in institutions, and rising populist authoritarianism, citizens can and must become fully engaged participants in the everyday, ongoing practice of democratic governance. Inspiring, compassionate, and thoroughly engaging, Democracy’s Second Act is a clarion call for democratic renewal.”
—Thomas Homer-Dixon, Executive Director, Cascade Institute, Royal Roads University, and author of Commanding Hope: The Power We Have to Renew a World in Peril
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| “In this accessible and vital book, Peter MacLeod and Richard Johnson make a powerful case that politics needs the people – not just as voters every few years, but as active participants in shaping decisions. They show that when citizens are given a genuine voice, trust in democracy grows. Drawing on comparative cases from Ireland to Taiwan, they reveal how involving the public not only strengthens our institutions but also empowers elected representatives. At the end of the day, democratic renewal and resilience depends on treating the public as a resource rather than a risk.”
—Jane Suiter, Professor, School of Communications, Dublin City University, and Director, Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society
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| “Democracies do not have to die. They can reinvent themselves and become powerful and joyful again. All it takes is this: Peter MacLeod and Richard Johnson are among the leading practitioners in the field of democratic innovation – and among the best thinkers about it, too. Treat everyday people as a resource, instead of a threat, they say. Celebrate the right to vote but complement it with the right to voice. Democracy’s Second Act is essential reading for anyone striving to re-empower democracy. Beautifully written and brilliantly argued, I found their book really inspiring and uplifting.”
—David Van Reybrouck, author of Against Elections: The Case for Democracy
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| “In an era in which it is all too easy to be discouraged about the democratic project, Peter MacLeod and Richard Johnson bring us a hugely engaging survey of the powers of people. Optimistic, realistic, and practically grounded, this book shows why the best of the second act of democracy is now in the making, centered on those practices that constitute peoples as publics – the focal points for people’s capacities for collective knowledge and collective action, and the essential pivot between peoples and their governments.”
—Mark E. Warren, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of British Columbia
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| “Cynicism is the convenient story to tell about politics today – but not the one we need. Democracy’s Second Act tells a better story, based on the conviction that democratic innovation can set things right. If you care about the future of democracy or feel the impact of politics in your life, this is a rare book that will leave you wiser and more hopeful.”
—Alan Webber, former Mayor, City of Santa Fe, and Co-Founder, Fast Company
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| “In this brilliantly argued and inspiring book, Peter MacLeod and Richard Johnson respond to the failings of our democratic systems by showing how we can move to a second deeper stage of democracy which treats the public as a resource, rather than a problem to be managed. Drawing on compelling examples from Ireland and Canada to Taiwan, they demonstrate that citizens’ assemblies and deliberative processes can tackle our most intractable challenges when people are trusted with real responsibility.”
—Richard Wilkinson, co-author of The Spirit Level: Why Equality Is Better for Everyone
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