{"product_id":"participatory-democracy-marc-anthony-thomas-9789766408541","title":"Participatory Democracy: The Case of Parish Development Committees in Jamaica","description":"In\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eParticipatory Democracy: The\u003cbr\u003eCase of Parish Development Committees in Jamaica\u003c\/i\u003e, Marc Anthony\u003cbr\u003eThomas expands the existing knowledge on participatory democracy. Parish development\u003cbr\u003ecommittees were established as a means for Jamaicans to inform government\u003cbr\u003epolicy, and Thomas explores the extent to which supportive institutional, infrastructural\u003cbr\u003eand superstructural conditions allow for robust implementation of this\u003cbr\u003edemocratization initiative. His analysis is bolstered by an appreciation of the\u003cbr\u003eemancipatory politics employed by the country's general population since\u003cbr\u003eslavery not only to survive oppression, but also to influence the nation's\u003cbr\u003epolitical agenda. Riots during slavery and in the present day, for example, \u003cbr\u003ehave offered citizens an avenue towards self-determination.\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe democratization initiative symbolized by parish\u003cbr\u003edevelopment committees promotes inclusiveness yet is led predominantly by\u003cbr\u003eolder, educated middle-class individuals with talents and capacities garnered\u003cbr\u003efrom several years of experience in various fields. Thomas argues that the\u003cbr\u003eopportunity cost of a more inclusive order explains this fact, in that\u003cbr\u003eJamaica's finite resources mean there is limited space for a learning curve and\u003cbr\u003ethe cash-strapped committees have only been able to survive when their members\u003cbr\u003ecould help to defray the cost of their operations.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBy observing more than one hundred hours of\u003cbr\u003eparish development committee activities and interviewing sixty key informants\u003cbr\u003eand four focus groups, Thomas finds that the emergence, survival and thriving\u003cbr\u003eof parish development committees in Jamaica is determined largely by the extent\u003cbr\u003eto which emancipatory political tactics are successfully applied by committee stakeholders\u003cbr\u003eto combat a number of continuing challenges. His analysis provides a\u003cbr\u003emicro-scale view of the interaction of factors that have shaped the power and\u003cbr\u003epossibility of Jamaica's democratization initiative.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Marc Anthony Thomas\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 9766408548\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9789766408541\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of the West Indies Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/13\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 194\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.64lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.45d","brand":"Marc Anthony Thomas","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44127942377727,"sku":"9789766408541","price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_05160881-7d48-4936-879b-4434555c8a63.jpg?v=1687456074","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/participatory-democracy-marc-anthony-thomas-9789766408541","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}