{"product_id":"by-popular-demand-john-gastil-9780520223653","title":"By Popular Demand: Revitalizing Representative Democracy Through Deliberative Elections","description":"John Gastil challenges conventional assumptions about public opinion, elections, and political expression in this persuasive treatise on how to revitalize the system of representative democracy in the United States.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGastil argues that American citizens have difficulty developing clear policy interests, seldom reject unrepresentative public officials, and lack a strong public voice. Our growing awareness of a flawed electoral system is causing increased public cynicism and apathy. The most popular reforms, however, will neither restore public trust nor improve representation. Term limits and campaign finance reforms will increase turnover, but they provide no mechanism for improved deliberation and accountability. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBuilding on the success of citizen juries and deliberative polling, Gastil proposes improving our current process by convening randomly selected panels of citizens to deliberate for several days on ballot measures and candidates. Voters would learn about the judgments of these citizen panels through voting guides and possibly information printed on official ballots. The result would be a more representative government and a less cynical public. America has a long history of experimentation with electoral systems, and the proposals in \u003ci\u003eBy Popular Demand\u003c\/i\u003e merit serious consideration and debate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e John Gastil\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0520223659\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780520223653\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of California Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/01\/2000\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 275\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.85lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.94h x 6.02w x 0.71d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/01\/2001 pg. 1533","brand":"John Gastil","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47579589607679,"sku":"9780520223653","price":30.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_0c8f9b2b-5520-42af-ab0f-930d7d86be13.jpg?v=1763875247","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/by-popular-demand-john-gastil-9780520223653","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}