1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910805578003321

Autore

Higley John

Titolo

Western Elites and Societies in Twenty-First Century Politics : Avoiding Calamity / / by John Higley

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham : , : Springer Nature Switzerland : , : Imprint : Palgrave Macmillan, , 2023

ISBN

9783031523076

3031523075

Edizione

[1st ed. 2023.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (104 pages)

Disciplina

305.52

Soggetti

America - Politics and government

Political sociology

Europe - Politics and government

Political leadership

American Politics

Political Sociology

European Politics

Political Leadership

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di contenuto

1. Avoiding Calamity -- 2. Western Elites and Populists -- 3. Representative Government’s Prospects -- 4. Democracy as Rationalization and Panacea -- 5. Anticipations of Parousia in Western Societies -- 6. Intellectual Elites and Realities of Work -- 7. Plutocracy and Demagogy in a Weak State -- 8. The Democracy Ideal Reconsidered.

Sommario/riassunto

This book focuses on threats to the continued viability of Western institutions and practices for which it is not easy to conceive remedies consistent with the Western tradition. Higley argues that structural difficulties in postindustrial societies, particularly the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and elsewhere, threatened troubles that political manipulation by elites might not be sufficient to contain or resolve. Struggling against lethal climate change, politically explosive waves of migrants and refugees, the likelihood of further pandemics,



populist nationalism, and destabilizing effects of social media, elites must consider new demographic, economic, social, political, and international policies. Higley offers a powerful and provocative analysis of the elite’s ability to sustain Western societies in their current social and political forms. John Higley is Emeritus Professor of Government & Sociology, University of Texas at Austin, USA.