Category: Literature Reviews
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Introducing the RDLG Bibliographic Database
We are pleased to announce that the Rural Decentralization and Local Government (RDLG) Database, with its 1600 bibliographic entries – is now part of this website. The Royal Tropical Institute in the Netherlands has, for many years, supported its development and operation within its KIT Information and Library Services. When the services closed in August 2013 due…
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Review – Mobilizing for Democracy
In Mobilizing for Democracy, case studies from Bangladesh, India, Brazil, Angola, South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria analyze the link between citizen mobilization and achieving specific outcomes through democracy. Each in-depth portrayal provides a historical, legal, and social context, as well as depicting the everyday realities of organizing citizens. Mobilizing for Democracy addresses four overarching topics:…
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Review – Future of Freedom
Examining the modern world’s political systems, The Future of Freedom explores Fareed Zakaria’s distinction between democratization and liberty — or what we might in development circles refer to as “deepening democracy” beyond elections. Zakaria argues that democratization, or increasing the number of people involved in democracy, can actually lead to chaos without “some measure of…
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Review – Bootstrapping Democracy
Comparing eight municipios, or towns, in Brazil, Bootstrapping Democracy investigates whether participatory budgeting (PB) reforms make a difference in deepening democracy and empowering civil society. While the authors acknowledge the need for an initial “blueprint” of the best way to institutionalize PB, they emphasize the importance of the “bootstrap” – the local-level innovations that adapt…