{"product_id":"virtual-politics-andrew-wilson-9780300244199","title":"Virtual Politics: Faking Democracy in the Post-Soviet World","description":"\u003cp\u003eStates such as Russia and Ukraine may not have gone back to totalitarianism or the traditional authoritarian formula of stuffing the ballot box. But a whole industry of 'political technology' has developed instead, with shadowy private firms and government 'fixers' on lucrative contracts dedicated to the black arts of organising electoral success. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book uncovers the sophisticated techniques of the 'virtual' political system used to legitimise post-Soviet regimes: entire fake parties, phantom political rivals and 'scarecrow' opponents. And it exposes the paramount role of the mass media in projecting these creations and in falsifying the entire political process. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWilson argues that it is not primarily economic problems that have made it so difficult to develop meaningful democracy in the former Soviet world. Although the West has seen its 'spin doctors', dirty tricks and aggressive ad campaigns, it is the unique post-Bolshevik culture of 'political technology' that is the main obstacle to better governance in the region, to real popular participation in public affairs and to the modernisation of the political economy in the longer term.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Andrew Wilson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0300244193\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780300244199\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Yale University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/06\/2005\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 352\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.19lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.79d","brand":"Andrew Wilson","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43992919179519,"sku":"9780300244199","price":44.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_085aa910-316f-41f6-97f9-0d8bbc42ccab.jpg?v=1683321533","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/virtual-politics-andrew-wilson-9780300244199","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}