Although democracy is in principle associated with popular rule, in practice it is best described as rule by elected elites. This form of government is not only wanting from a theoretical point of view, but it also no longer seems to meet the expectations of large segments of the citizenry. This book offers a blueprint for an alternative democratic model, democracy as popular sovereignty. Starting with the idea that the people, generously defined, are sovereign when they rule as equally valuable and fully participating members of a self-governing collectivity, this model tries to describe the constitutional and institutional arrangements necessary to achieve a workable version of this idea in advanced democratic states. This implies among other changes a greater dose of direct democracy, the use of sortition and a different conception of representation. The overall argument developed combines insights, facts, and findings from normative political theory, empirical political science, democracys long history as well as from the recent burgeoning literature on participatory and deliberative democracy.

Filimon Peonidis is associate professor of moral and political philosophy and head of the graduate philosophy program at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. His publications in English includeAutonomy and Sympathy: A Post-Kantian Moral Image (2005), (co-edited with Nicos Avgelis)Aristotle on Language, Logic and Science (1999) and articles in journals such asAustralian Journal of Legal Philosophy,History of European Ideas, History of Political Thought, Journal of Social Philosophy, Journal of Bentham Studies, Journal of Philosophical Research, Journal of Value Inquiry and Law and Philosophy.

Preface

Chapter 1: Democracy as Popular Sovereignty
1.1 A historical model of democracy and some common justifications
1.2 The model applied
1.3 Rule by the people but without the people
1.4 Democracy as popular sovereignty
1.5 Are the people capable of being sovereign?
1.6 Does the majority principle undermine popular sovereignty?

Chapter 2: The Institutions of Popular Sovereignty
2.1 Introductory remarks
2.2 Direct universal participation
2.3 Direct participation through sortition
2.4 Indirect participation through representation I: Electoral systems
2.5 Indirect participation through representation II: The constituent-representative relationship

Chapter 3: A Democratic Constitution
3.1 Setting the stage
3.2 The lifetime of the constitution
3.3 Democratic rights
3.4 Popular sovereignty and excessive wealth
3.5 The separation of powers
3.5.1 The legislative-higher executive continuum
3.5.2 The lower executive
3.5.3 The judiciary
3.6 Constitutional review

Bibliography
Index
About the author