AshehougAgency

The Democracy of Reforms

Modern democracies provide a framework for the protection of the individual whilst social changes simultaneously create new ideological challenges demanding fresh answers to central questions about the way we live. Perfection is unattainable both within democratic theory and practice. What we want from democracy cannot be encapsulated in any one principle; we want a variety of things, some of them mutually exclusive. First and foremost we want freedom and equality, the so-called double imperative. Set against this idea of democracy are several theories arguing that the perfect society is attainable and that there is no such thing as a double imperative forming a barrier against perfect happiness. Against these theories, promising so much, the reformist view may seem somewhat feeble in that it promises very little but seeks instead to find good, practical and attainable solutions for modern democracies. Instead of making promises of freedom and equality, reformist theories set out to answer questions such as: What is the real meaning of freedom and equality? How should it be understood? And freedom to do what? What are the rights and responsibilities of citizens? Is there a conflict between the freedom of the individual and the needs arising out of being part of society? How do we strike a balance between individualism and moralism? As a political strategy should reformism be viewed as realpolitik or naiveté?

There is no single solution or recipe that takes account of all good intentions. The existing dilemma between freedom and equality is perpetual, there is no such thing as a paradise on earth. The author, therefore, presents the most pragmatic and civilised compromise to this insoluble imperfection, the reformist democracy, and highlights the central problems in modern democracies, putting forward alternative approaches to these dilemmas.

About the author: Stein Ringen is currently Professor of Sociology at Oxford University and was previously Professor of Research into Welfare at the University of Stockholm.

During his career he has also acted as a consultant for the UN, managed the Norwegian survey into living conditions, and worked as a journalist for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation.

Publisher: Universitetsforlaget (Scandinavian University Press) 1997
ISBN: 82-00-22854-1
133 pages, paperback