Reviving democracy

Citizens at the heart of governance

Barry Knight, Hope Chigudu & Rajesh Tandon

Earthscan Publications Ltd, 214 pages, paperback, £15.95

These authors agree that there is a growing gulf between political institutions and their citizens, with the result that democracies worldwide are losing voters.

This book is based on a detailed study of the views of citizens in the 47 countries of the Commonwealth. For most of them, a "good society" meant fulfilment of basic needs, including "economic security", that is opportunities to work for reasonable pay; adequate services, including access to food, drinking water, shelter, education, sanitation and health; and freedom from war, crime, violence and drugs.

However, in 43 out of the 47 countries that took part in this study, the conditions of a good society were not met and disenchantment was widespread. In only four countries did a small majority of those questioned say that they lived in a good society; these were Mauritius, Malaysia, the Republic of Seychelles and Trinidad and Tobago.

This book ends by stressing the urgent need for citizens to participate in the governments of the future.