Book
The Self-Restraining State: Power and Accountability in New Democracies
(1999)
Abstract
"New democracies all over the world are finding themselves haunted by the old demons of clientelism, corruption, arbitrariness, and the abuse of power—leading to a growing awareness that, in addition to elections, democracy requires checks and balances. Democratic governments must be accountable to the electorate; but they must also be subject to restraint and oversight by other public agencies. It is not enough that citizens control the state. The state must control itself."
Keywords
- law,
- government,
- constitution
Disciplines
Publication Date
1999
Publisher
Lynne Rienner Publishing
ISBN
978-1-55587-773-6
Publisher Statement
"New democracies all over the world are finding themselves haunted by the old demons of clientelism, corruption, arbitrariness, and the abuse of power—leading to a growing awareness that, in addition to elections, democracy requires checks and balances. Democratic governments must be accountable to the electorate; but they must also be subject to restraint and oversight by other public agencies. It is not enough that citizens control the state. The state must control itself.
This collection explores how new democracies can achieve that goal. Focusing on electoral administration, judicial systems, corruption control, and central banks, the authors consider such issues as how governments can establish effective agencies of restraint, why they should accept them, and what those agencies can do to achieve credibility."
Citation Information
Andreas Schedler, Larry Diamond, Marc Plattner and Herman Schwartz. The Self-Restraining State: Power and Accountability in New Democracies. (1999) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/herman_schwartz/40/